Eye of the Phoenix
by Uskius
Summary: 150 years after the Winter War, a young girl from Rukongai discovers an ancient and powerful zanpakuto in a mountain cave. This story follows the trail of the zanpakuto, and the girl's brief years as a shinigami.
1. Chapter 1: Playing a Game

PROLOGUE

Jiguro did not want to do this, but it was the right thing. His brother would be the one who became the hero; and while he was a proud man he knew only one of them should be in the limelight. He had traveled long in these mountains, searching for a place where he could hide his sword and then drift off to an endless sleep.

He looked at Slayer one more time. It was a zanpakuto, and perhaps the only one of them that could rival the strength of his brother's. It had caused them both much grief. Jiguro could see a cave up ahead, out of the wind and partially obscured by shrubs. _That one will do..._

He had to get on his hands and knees, but he was sure a smaller man or a child could enter easily. Once he had crawled a few feet, he found the cave was large enough to stand up in, and there was a shaft of light shining down on the back wall. He wrapped Slayer in his ragged black cloak, and placed it in the light coming in from outside. He decided to write an appropriate message above it, so that anyone who might stumble upon it later would know what they found. He decided on: _All who wage war know my name..._ and carved it into the wall of the cave. He then lied down against a cave wall, and closed his eyes.

Chapter One

It was a sunny summer day in Rukongai, and there were children playing in the street. It was a game they called Shinigami, where a few children would pretend to be monsters and the others would chase them around with sticks trying to hit them. For reasons no adult understood, it was very popular.

Kari Kuraka was playing a shinigami, as she always did. She was good at it. Right now, she was chasing a chubby young boy they always forced into being a Hollow.

"I'll beat you this time, shinigami!" Said the boy, who unfortunately was good at playing his part.

"Ha! I can never lose, I'm the Substitute Shinigami! Bankai!" She then struck a pose, and twirled her stick around a few times.

"That's not fair! You already used your Bankai this game!" Protested the young boy, whose name was Sasuke.

"No I didn't!" But she had. Not waiting for Sasuke to whine again, she ran in and swung her stick at him. He moved out of the way, but Kari was fast with her stick, and tagged him before he could run off.

"Ow! Ow! That's it, I quit!" Sasuke stomped off to join the other kids who had been tagged. They were laughing, and it seemed they had begun playing their own game. Kari watched them. The other kids never really invited her to play any games besides Shinigami, always saying they "already had enough people" if she asked to join. Kari wondered if they were scared of her.

Someone bumped into her from behind. "Sorry, I forgot to move out of the street." She turned around to see who it was, and it was an actual shinigami! "Oh! Sorry, sir!"

Shugo smiled. He'd had an easy task today, coming out here into Rukongai to get a local brand of tea for his Captain. "Oh, it's no bother. I was watching your friends play, too. What do you call the game, again?"

"Shinigami, sir." Kari's stomach growled loudly. "...um, playing it always makes me really hungry."

Shugo raised an eyebrow. This girl might be able to become one, someday. "That's okay. Do you know the way to Kuraka's Tea House?"

Kari smiled and nodded. "It's just down the street! I'll show you." Kari happily trotted off to her mother's shop, which was only a few houses down. The shop was empty, as it was about to close for the evening. Kari opened the old wooden door and called out: "Mama! We have a customer!" She let Shugo in, and they walked up to the bar.

Mrs. Kuraka walked out from the back room. Kari saw she was wearing her pretty blue scarf today. "What will you be needing today, sir?"

"Just a small box of tea, the uh, 'House Special' blend? Yes."

A few strands of Mrs. Kuraka's dark hair fell over her face as she leaned down to get the box from under the counter. "Here you go, one of the last boxes!"

Shugo handed her the coins to pay. "Alright! Thank you, ma'am!" Shugo smiled. Mrs. Kuraka and her daughter were very cute together; maybe he would come here in his time off some day.

After the shinigami left, Mrs. Kuraka took out the "CLOSED" sign and hung it on the door. Kari's stomach growled again. "Have you been playing Shinigami again, Kari?"

"Yes, but sometimes it happens even when I haven't been playing, too."

Mrs. Kuraka looked at her daughter, with the same dark hair and heart shaped face as her, but with green eyes- like her runaway father. She sighed. "Kari, Shinigami is a children's game, and you're almost twelve now! You need to start helping out here around the shop a little more, you're a big girl now."

"Sorry, mama. I... I don't know, but I just like playing it..." It was really the only game Kari played. She spent most of her free time walking out near the mountains, or practicing using her stick for Shinigami. She hugged her mother. "Mama, do you think I could become a real shingami when I'm older?"

Mrs. Kuraka held her daughter close. "Kari, you could become anything you want to..."


	2. Chapter 2: Mountain Air

Kari put a few things for her to eat in the pack, and skipped outside to meet with her mother. Mrs. Kuraka had come down with a cough several months ago, and she claimed that a bit of mountain air helped with her breathing. Today they were making just such a trip.

"Slow down Kari, remember we have to go by the Uchiha's first. They'll be coming along today."

_Ah, I'd forgotten about that. I wish she would forget it too. _Lately, Kari's mother had been seeing the Uchiha's an awful lot. Once or twice she'd overheard her mother talking about sharing the business. But more than that, Kari sensed she wanted her to associate with Sasuke more- something Kari at best found horrifying. Sasuke was still on the chubby side, but in the last few years he'd become a little more handsome. He had also become a terrible flirt; spinning a delicate web of lies to keep all his potential girlfriends lined up and available. He bothered Kari the most, which she did not quite understand because there were prettier girls than her around, not to mention she was still on the outside of Kusajishi's social scene. _Well, maybe he- no. NO... That, I... wouldn't let happen even if it was possible..._

The Uchiha's were only a short walk away, several houses down and around the corner. The street was noisy today, and there were a few fist fights going on at some of the booths. _Probably raised their prices again..._ The noodle shops in this area of Kusajishi were very competitive, and raised and lowered their prices constantly in an effort to outdo the other shops. But fist fights over the prices at the noodle shops were common, and Kari and her mother barely noticed them.

They arrived at the Uchiha's a few minutes later. The Uchiha's had a two story place, a rare occurrence in Kusajishi. Supply costs and quality usually kept buildings to one floor. They had carefully built their wealth with a textiles shop over the last few generations, and Sasuke's father used those savings to build the second floor when he was a young man.

Mrs. Uchiha opened the door when Kari knocked. "Sasuke, Itachi! They're here!" Mrs. Uchiha called. She turned back to Kari and her mother. "They'll be along in a moment, Sasuke's just gathering the things for the trip." She smiled, and Kari remembered that she was the nicer one of the Uchiha's, not quite as business-like as her husband and not as deceptive as her son. "Come on in for a minute."

They entered, and sat on the bench in the entryway. Almost as soon as they had, Sasuke and his father walked over. Sasuke winked at Kari as he hefted the pack over his shoulder and said, "Took me a few minutes to find that old blanket, but I've got everything now, mother."

"Okay then. Shall we head out?" The Kuraka's and Uchiha's took a few turns, and found the road out to the mountains. The adults kept up a bit of small talk, but Kari only answered Sasuke a few times, not wanting him to get any ideas. Really, why did he bother?

He had been walking a little too close for Kari's liking a while when he asked, "Hey Kari, what do you do when you come out here? You're out here almost all the time. Don't you get lonely?"

_Sneaky, Sasuke. But it won't work._ "It's just so quiet out here. There's no fighting over someone raising the price of their noodles, no drunks coming into the shop, it's just peaceful. I like looking out for any animals, too. And there's room to practice using my stick."

Sasuke chuckled. "I don't know why we used to play that game so much; we were pretty much just running around beating each other up. You don't still play it, do you?"

"Well, sort of. But now we have it where the Ryoka have to get past the Shinigami to rescue their friend. I'm usually the person they rescue now." Kari's athleticism and stick-using skill had led to some of the kids making up this version of it, as they too had realized the running-around-and-beating-up-each-other aspect of the game. Kari knew this, but it didn't bother her much. She was hungry all the time now, and it was nice to rest from working in the tea shop and practicing her stick skills. She practiced using her stick now mostly for self-defense, as she saw how most of the women in Kusajishi were treated.

"Maybe you could practice weaving, that's a nice skill for a-" Sasuke reeled back from the force of Kari's glare. How could a cute girl like her be so scary like that? "I mean, you could practice in your house, and be closer to you mother. You know, so you wouldn't be all the way out here in the mountains if her cough gets bad."

Kari sighed. Sasuke _did_ have a good point there. "Well, I have to do most of the work at the Tea House now, so I don't know if I'd have time to practice weaving. I'll just have to wait and see." Sasuke didn't bother her for the rest of the way there, instead joining in on the adult's conversation.

After a little more than an hour's walk they arrived at the mountains. They continued the climb for several minutes, until they reached a small clearing that was out of the wind. This was the place that Kari and her mother usually came to on these trips.

Sasuke pulled out his mother's large blanket from his pack and spread it out. For Kari's benefit they had a small meal, and the adults told Kari and Sasuke of their younger days as they ate. Kari's mother had been a part her family's traveling performing group, wandering around Rukongai singing and performing short plays. Mrs. Kuraka had met Kari's father one day when the family stopped at a tea house; his family owned it, and he had been working there at the time. This was about the thousandth time Kari had heard this, but it seemed to surprise Sasuke. Kari could almost see his brain working out how to use the new information.

Mrs. Kuraka cleared her throat. "Kari, would you and Sasuke mind talking for a bit over there?" She said, indicating the other side of the clearing.

_They'll probably be talking about the Uchiha's getting a share of the Tea House again..._ "No, mother. That'll be fine." She walked over to the bushes and Sasuke followed.

Sasuke was about to say something when a rabbit ran out from the bushes. "Did you see that?"

"What, the rabbit? Yeah."

"It looked like it ran out from inside the mountain..." Kari knelt down to check where the rabbit had come from. She moved around the bushes, and couldn't see the mountainside behind them. So it _had_ come from inside there. She checked the bushes again, and if she broke off some twigs the hole would be big enough to crawl into.

"Is there a cave in there?"

"Yeah. I'm going to take a quick look inside. Wait here." Kari snapped off a few twigs, moved aside some more, and crawled in. She could feel Sasuke watching her as she went into the cave. _...but that's all he'll ever see..._ After going in a few feet, Kari noticed she could stand, and that there was light shining on the back wall from outside.

As her eyes adjusted to the dim light, she looked around. _AH! What, what is... is that a skull?_ There against the right wall there were a few bones, and they appeared to be human. _I hope the animal living here doesn't come back soon..._ Then she looked at the back wall. Just below where the shaft of light from outside hit it, there was a small bundle resting against it. She had walked over and knelt down to take a look, when she noticed writing on the back wall. It was in the old style that was used on all the proclamations, but Kari could read a few words of it. _All... war know... name..._ Some kind of weapon, then?

"Kari? Are you okay?"

"Yeah... I'll be out in a minute, Sasuke." Kari picked up the bundle, and unwrapped the old black cloth- which appeared to be a cloak- and it revealed a sword. Kari gasped. She now recognized this as a zanpakuto, the powerful katana that the shinigami wielded! It was still in good condition, too, despite having been out here in the mountains for who knows how long. She held it up in the light: it had a grey and black wrapped handle, and a hilt in the shape of a skull with two bones crossed behind it. Quivering slightly, Kari drew it. It was average, except it had the cutting edge on the opposite edge as usual! That was something Kari had never seen, but she guessed it was common with the shinigami. Remembering Sasuke was back outside, she sheathed the sword and wrapped it up and took it with her out of the cave.

The adults were still talking, but Sasuke was waiting. "Kari? What's in that bundle there?"

_There's no way I'm actually telling him._ "It's just some rusty old sword. I figured I could use it to scare off all the drunks that come into the shop."

"Do you really think your mother will let you keep a real sword? I don't think she's _that_ lax."

Again, Sasuke had a good point. Kari pulled out her stick(she used it as a walking stick, also) and compared it to the zanpakuto; the stick was a little longer. Then she had an idea. "I'll just say I found a cloak in the cave, and wrapped up my stick so it looked more like a real sword. Easy."

Sasuke nodded, as if the lie met his approval. "That might work, but she'll probably find out sooner or later." It seemed their parents had finished talking now.

Mrs. Uchiha spoke. "Sasuke, Kari, do you want to stay any longer?"

Kari answered, "No, Mrs. Uchiha, I'm ready to head back." Sasuke nodded, he was ready too. They packed up the blankets and leftover food, and began heading back. Kari stuffed the zanpakuto in between the pack and her back, and she felt a sense of purpose and strength emanating from it. Though she had found it only a few minutes ago, to Kari it already seemed like an old friend.


	3. Chapter 3: Slayer of Dreams

The man wearing the skull mask appeared by her side. He had a distinctive sickly sweet smell of heat and sweat, which followed him wherever he went. "Who am I, that a girl that works in a tea shop carries me? Answer!"

Kari looked at him. He was tall and thin, and wore a very familiar ragged black cloak. His eyes glowed from behind the mask. "You are a zanpakuto, and even though I work in a tea shop I train with you very often, to be able to protect myself."

He fumed, "What? 'To protect myself'? I'm not a protector, Kari! Who the hell do you think I am?" He asked her this quite often, but Kari had not quite been able to answer. She sensed he really wanted her to tell him, and that it was very important. The man wearing the skull mask thrust his hand at the mountainside, and again a skeleton clawed its way out of the ground.

Kari had guessed he was a magician a few times already, but that wasn't the answer. She thought hard for a minute. _The skeleton again... no, I've already guessed warrior, too. Oh... "I'm not a protector..."? He hasn't said that before. A murderer, maybe? But he seems to be more cultured than that, though. Then again, you never know with murderers..._ She kept going along in the "murderer" vein. _What was the writing on the cave wall? It said something about war... Hmm, he doesn't seem like a hero or warlord, though. _Kari went through all the words she could think of related to killing._ Murderer, killer, plague- oh, that's a good one- um... blade, assassin, slayer- another good one! I'll guess that first._

"You are... Slayer."

Slayer laughed madly. "Not bad, tea shop girl!" He drew his sword, which had a bone handle and curved downwards, with the edge on the inside of the curve. "That is indeed my name. Now, take a look at me and my sword here. What direction can I cut in?"

Kari sensed this question was almost as important as knowing his name. _The sword he has now has the edge on the normal side, but... the one I found in the cave has it on the opposite side..._ "You... you cut both ways..."

Slayer grinned. "Good. Remember those answers when you train with me, tea shop girl..."

Kari woke up with a start, sweating; she was hungrier than she had ever been before.

"Kari? Come here, please..." That was her mother, and she sounded weak. Kari jumped up and ran over to her mother's bed. "Kari..." She coughed. Mrs. Kuraka's cough hadn't improved over the last year, and at times it had kept her in bed for weeks. "Kari, the Tea House... it'll belong to you and Sasuke now... you'll still get to keep our room back here-" She coughed again.

"Mother...?" It was hard to see in the darkness, but her mother looked very pale.

"Kari... I don't think I'll last 'til sunrise. I just want you to know I love you, baby. And- your father did too... but..." Mrs. Kuraka closed her eyes. "But he couldn't..."

Kari held her mother's hand. "Why? Why did he have to leave?"

"He... he was too... I'm so tired, Kari..."

Kari began to cry. _So this is it..._ "I love you too, mother..." Kari stayed up with her mother all night, holding her hand until Mrs. Kuraka passed away in the gray light before dawn.

Shugo was hurrying towards Kuraka's Tea House. _It's almost closing time._ He came here regularly now, getting a cup of tea and a box of the House Special Blend for his Captain. As he jogged towards the shop, he could see the CLOSED sign wasn't hanging on the door. He opened it and walked in, almost bumping into Kari- who was holding the CLOSED sign in her hand.

"Am I too late?"

"If you're just going to get a box of the House Special Blend, then no. I've already thrown out all the other tea."

"I'll just take the box of tea." As Kari walked behind the counter to get the box, Shugo noticed she was wearing her mother's blue scarf. "Is your mother feeling better today?"

Kari sighed. "No, Musa-san. She- she passed away yesterday morning..." Then, totally at odds with what Kari had just said, her stomach growled loudly.

"I'm sorry to hear that," He offered. Shugo then remembered how in Soul Society, one didn't get hungry unless they had used a good amount of spiritual energy in a short time. "Kari-chan, are you hungry often?"

"Oh. Um, yes. All the time, sometimes even right after I've eaten something."

Shugo was surprised. "You should think about becoming a shinigami, so you can learn to control all that energy."

Kari thought over this for a minute. She liked the Tea House, but she didn't want to spend her whole life here if she would have to share the business with Sasuke. And maybe Slayer would stop calling her "Tea shop girl" if she did become a shinigami. "You know what, Musa-san? I'll do it. Today." She took Slayer out from under the counter and hung it across her back.

_ Is- is that a zanpakuto she has wrapped up in there?_ "Well, today won't work, but the fall semester of the Academy starts in two weeks. Maybe then."

"Couldn't I stay at that Academy place until then?"

Shugo mulled it over for a second. "Hmm... The spring semester was pretty small, so there might be some room in the dorms. And are you sure about this?"

Kari nodded. "Definitely."

"Okay, then. Come along." Shugo and Kari walked out of Kuraka's Tea House, and Kari hung the CLOSED sign on the door for the last time.


	4. Chapter 4: Shino Academy

Gengoro Onabara surveyed the group of men and women before him. He'd been told that there was some real talent in this group, unlike in the last few semesters. He saw the children of some of the lesser nobility; it would be fun knocking them into their place. There were a few tough looking men from the mean streets of Rukongai; he would be teaching them some respect. Ah, there. There was the sixteen year old girl, who he'd been told had brought her own zanpakuto; he would have to be especially tough on her. The uneasy silence had stretched out long enough, time to speak.

"You all have been placed in my class because you have shown potential when taking the entrance exams. That may have meant something when you took them, but I assure you all that once I have finished this introduction, it will mean nothing. Because you showed promise, _more_ will be expected of you. And aside from your instructors and I, we are all equal in my class. You have to work to excel; some of you may be more familiar with that than others. And, some of you may be proud of what you think you already have accomplished. That brings us to some of the core principals of the Shino Academy.

Some among you are used to fine things, but here you are taught this: do not seek beauty in battle. War and bloodshed are not a fine art. All things have their place, and it is the duty of a shinigami to make sure those things are in their place, and balanced. If you find beauty in that, look no further for that is the only beauty you will find here.

Some of you are used to making a living with your strength and courage, but as a shinigami you are taught this: do not, do NOT seek virtue in death! Death is meaningless, and it is one of the great tragedies that men try to make more of death than it really is. You are here to _balance_ death, not to glory in it.

I can see from the looks of your faces that nearly all of you are people of pride; but as a shinigami it is a vital thing to not make the mistake of considering you own life only. Like it or not we are all on the same team here; if you want to survive you'll have to rely on each other for support.

Furthermore, the duties of a shinigami require intellect- gut feelings and your emotions should play a small role, though they do have their uses on occasion. So, if you must protect that which needs protection, slice down the threat from behind; foolishly rushing into battle based on your emotions and instinct is dangerous. Strive to remain in control of your emotions during battle.

And, as of now, you are all officially students at the Shino Academy! Congratulations." Gengoro waited- not yet, not yet... there! Someone had begun clapping. The others slowly joined in. He let the applause continue for a minute before motioning for silence. "Your first swordsmanship class is in thirty minutes, so you will have a small bit of time to introduce yourselves before making your way there." Gengoro nodded, and walked off. Perhaps this year would be different after all.

A tall girl with wavy black hair next to Kari introduced herself. "Haruhi Mikoto," Kari and Haruhi shook hands. "Is that a Tensa Zangetsu replica you have wrapped up in there?"

Before Kari could answer, a tall young man at her left broke in. "They still make those things?"

"Yes, I saw _five_ people with them on the way here! Oh, and that obnoxious twat to your left is my brother."

He smiled. "Kyon Mikoto, at your service. And anyways, Haruhi, her sword is too small to be a Tensa Zangetsu replica."

"And they didn't sell them in my district of Rukongai, either. I found him in a cave. Oh, and I'm Kari Kuraka; nice to meet you!"

"Nice to meet you too, Kari. Hey, which Squad do you want to be in when you graduate?"

"I don't know, but it would be interesting to see what Fifth Squad is like..." The Mikoto siblings nodded. Most residents of Rukongai and Seiretei knew Fifth Squad was where Aizen got his start.

"I'd like to see Fifth Squad, too. I've heard Sanjiro became Captain of it after the Winter War."

Kyon scoffed, "Honestly Haruhi, you need to just throw away that old copy of _Avalanche and Wind-Shadow_. Enjoji and Sanjiro are way out of your league." Haruhi blushed slightly at this, as she had long been enamored with the great sparring match and its participants. "As for me, Kari, I'd like to serve under one of the more senior Captains. Maybe Eighth Squad, with Captain Ise- I mean, Captain Kyoraku."

It was Haruhi's turn to act high and mighty. "Ha! Honestly Kyon, you would have better luck in another Squad. Vice-Captain Ise is way out of _your_ league."

Kyon shrugged. "Well, they don't call sake 'The Great Equalizer' for nothing."

Haruhi turned to Kari. "Do you see what I've had to live with?" Kari grinned, as Kyon's smooth manner reminded her of Sasuke- but Kyon was more handsome.

"Oh, but you know you love me anyways sis. Now, may I escort you fine ladies to class?" Kyon had offered his arm to Kari, but withdrew it when he saw the look in her eyes. "Ahem. Lead on, sister."

The rest of the day had gone well. The swordsmanship class had been a breeze for Kari, as it seemed what they were teaching was just a more structured version of what she had already been practicing. And then, they had worked with the basics of spells. Kari had never heard of shinigami using them before, but she immediately fell in love with it. Haruhi looked to be doing well with them too. Next was the unarmed combat class. Kari felt at ease here, and the movements filled her with the sense of peace she had felt on her walks in the mountains. Next was the step method class, where they learned the beginnings of using flash steps and solidifying spirit particles under their feet to gain traction in the air. Kari had a bit of trouble at first, but was confident she would get better soon. The rest of the classes dealt with all the other duties of the shinigami: performing soul burials, writing up reports for their Captain; and the various tasks that needed doing around Seiretei.

And throughout the day, Kari could feel the strength and purpose radiating from Slayer growing even stronger, as if he approved of her now.


	5. Chapter 5: Smells Like Bad Spirits

Several months had passed, and Kari Kuraka was at the top of her class at Shino Academy. However, as she was younger than anyone else by at least fifty years, her age was a problem for most of the class. The older students literally(and figuratively) looked down on her, a few of them ignoring her altogether. For those who weren't bothered by her age, Kari noticed they were wary of her, while trying to pretend they actually weren't. Fortunately, Kari still had good friends in the Mikoto siblings.

Currently Class One was practicing in the spells class. Kari's love of spells had grown even deeper, and was even capable of casting lower level spells without even calling the incantation or name. One of her favorite tricks was to shoot fire spells from her mouth, and lightning spells from her eyes. _Especially_ lightning spells from her eyes.

They were going over low/mid level spells again when Kari cast Blue Fire, Crash Down from her mouth, also not bothering with the incantation or spell name. It hit the target, just a hair off center. Gengoro Onabara was sitting in on this session, and he called, "Kuraka! Cast it the normal way next time, please."

Kari smiled sheepishly. "Yes, Onabara-sama." He was tougher on her than any of the other instructors, so much that her classmates noticed it. She had risen to task admirably, though, and had performed well. She walked to the back of the line, where Kyon was in front of her.

"How do you do that?" Kyon asked.

"What, shooting it from my mouth?" Kari and Kyon were watching Haruhi at work. Haruhi was also improving in spells, only behind Kari in their class.

"No not at all, I've totally got that figured out- _yes_, I meant how do you shoot it from your mouth! It's ridiculous!" Haruhi's Blue Fire, Crash Down was well cast and it hit the target dead center.

"Well, when you do it normally, your spiritual energy is concentrated in the hand. All I'm doing is switching where the energy is concentrated and shot from."

"Huh, that actually makes sense. Still doesn't make it any less ridiculous, though. And you still haven't explained how you skip the incantations and spell names either."

"Well, that mostly takes a lot of focus."

Haruhi looked over from her line. "Is he bothering you again, Kari?"

"Yes. Make him stop!"

Haruhi smiled. "I'll get him for you later."

Kyon sighed heavily. "I just can't do anything with her around."

The second session of swordsmanship was at the end of the day. Kari was again at the top here, far and away the best in Class One. It was something of an open secret that Kari had already achieved Shikai, although no one was sure who had first told them.

But more than that, it was Slayer's favorite class, and he pushed Kari as much or even more than Onabara would. Here, Kari felt closer to Slayer than any other time; and a few times she had noticed Slayer's distinct sickly sweet heat-and-sweat smell floating around her. Except for Onabara and a man from one of the lesser noble families, everyone mistook Slayer's scent for a horrible case of body odor.

Kari had paired up with that man(Akira Yukoh) for the sparring part of class. He was one of the better ones in their class, and Kari sensed he would be close with his sword, too.

Not fooling either of them, Kari let Akira practice his offense first.

"Your block was a little slow there," He commented. Kari rewarded him by quickly going on offense and driving him back. She felt Slayer urging her to speed up her offense, and she did so- until she was going as fast as Akira could handle. Slayer's scent wafted out from the blade, and Akira faltered as he smelled it. Kari pulled back a few feet, but Akira stayed on his knee, gasping for air. Kari lowered Slayer, and the scent filled her nose. It did not bother as it did everyone else.

"Yukoh-san? Are you okay?" She then noticed everyone else had stopped, and were breathing heavily.

"Sh- sheathe your sword, please..." Kari did so, and Slayer's oppressive scent quickly dissipated. Akira looked at her, a slightly scared look in his eyes.

Kari knew she had to say something. "Guess I really need a bath, huh?"

Kyon wheezed, "I think a dozen baths would be more like it."

Kari laughed nervously. "Yeah, I guess so." She felt very uncomfortable, though. Slayer's smell was an extension of her spiritual pressure, and it was unavoidable if she had him drawn.

Onabara looked at her knowingly. "Kuraka, why don't you take the class with you on a quick water break? It's getting hot out here."

"Yes, sir." It _was_ hot; but Kari knew that wasn't the reason for the water break, and mouthed "Thank you" to Onabara on the way out.

Refreshed and hydrated, Class One returned a few minutes later. They were being drilled on forms now, and to challenge her Onabara made Kari do them blindfolded. Kari was used to this, however, and did not stumble once. In fact, going through the forms blindfolded calmed her, and Onabara's welcoming ceremony speech came to her. _"All things have their place," and it's my job to make sure everything's balanced and in order. "Death is meaningless..." Maybe, maybe putting things in order and balance gives it a meaning..._ This made Kari think of her mother, and renewed her determination to be a shinigami.


	6. Chapter 6: Reap What You Haven't Sown

Segato Sanjiro and his Fourth Seat were sitting in on Class One's activities today. Segato had heard good things about this class; and he had to see for himself. Though most of the class wouldn't be graduating until they had finished their full six years, he had been told that there were a few who could graduate early. There were the brother and sister, the man from a lesser noble family that had made it in on his fourth try, and that girl Shugo said he'd met working at a tea shop.

Right now they were in their second swordsmanship session, paired up for some sparring. Sanjiro nodded, there was indeed some good talent here- wait, who was that sparring blindfolded? Trying not to sound too stunned, Segato asked Onabara: "Say, Onabara-san, who's been acting up so bad you blindfolded them?"

Onabara smiled. "Oh, that's just Kuraka; and she's actually very well-behaved. I'm not doing it to be cruel, though. It's to challenge her: outside of Gin Ichimaru and perhaps a couple others she's the best swordsman I've ever taught here. In fact, she wears it for all her combat related classes."

Shugo tapped Segato on the shoulder. "Captain, that's her! The young girl I told you about who used to work in a tea shop."

"Amazi-" Segato sniffed the air, and caught a scent he was all too familiar with. The smell of _death._ "Oh, wow. Um, Onabara...?"

"The smell is nothing to worry about, in and of itself. However, it is tied to Kuraka's sword. She informed me that when she has her zanpakuto drawn, it's just a natural extension of her spiritual pressure-" Onabara coughed here.

Segato would definitely be keeping an eye on her progress here, she had serious power. "I- wow- I was wondering, Onabara-san, if I might borrow a few of your students for some missions in Rukongai? My Squad's busy preparing for the Anniversary Ceremony." Anniversary of the Final Battle of the Winter War, that is. It was a common saying that the Final Battle had made men legends and elevated legends to god-like status.

Onabara wiped his eyes, which were watering from Slayer's scent. "That would be perfectly fine. And if I may, I would recommend Kuraka, and the Mikoto siblings. They work well together." Onabara coughed again before saying, "Captain Sanjiro, would you mind introducing yourself and taking the class on a short water break?"

Segato nodded. He could see that the smell was affecting the students, too. He walked over to them and cleared his throat, and said "Excuse me!" Oddly enough, only Kari seemed to notice. "This is why I keep you around, Shugo."

"It is one of my many talents," He said nonchalantly. Then, in a much more commanding voice than his Captain, Shugo said "Attention! Please welcome the Captain of Fifth Squad, Segato Sanjiro!" This got their attention.

"Thank you. As Shugo has just announced, I am indeed Captain of Fifth Squad. My Fourth Seat and I have been watching, and evaluating your skills today. You all have worked very hard, and I invite you to join me in getting a quick drink of water." He smiled and signaled for them to follow, and then turned and walked off.

Kari waved to Shugo, and smiled. It was a nice surprise to see him here. Haruhi- at this point almost hyperventilating- grabbed Kari and spun her around to face her. "How do you know the Fourth Seat already? And- and did he introduce you to Captain Sanjiro?"

"Calm down Haruhi! I met Sa- I mean I met Musa-san when I was just a kid. He used to come to my mother's tea shop to get a box of tea for Captain Sanjiro."

"Tea? You know what his favorite tea flavor is-"

"You're not in Fifth Squad yet, slow down. And what kind of tea did he get, anyways?" Kyon slipped in between Haruhi and Kari.

"Just the House Special Blend, nothing fancy." As they walked to get their water, Kari noted Captain Sanjiro was nothing fancy either. It amazed her that the most unremarkable man she had ever seen in her life was one of the near mythical figures of the Winter War's Final Battle.

A few days later Kari, Haruhi and Kyon were walking along the edge of Zaraki District in Rukongai. They had been assigned here to patrol the border, where a few Hollows had been showing up. They had already seen a few of them, but they had been no problem to dispatch and it looked like that was all they'd see for the day.

"Do you think we should start heading back?" Kyon asked.

"No, we still have about an hour left. I'll take care of any Hollows that come up," Answered Kari.

"Cool. It was your turn, anyways." Kyon and Haruhi had handled the other three Hollow. Kyon had defeated his two with his all-around skills, and Haruhi had beaten hers with a few quick sword strikes. Kari had been tutoring her and Haruhi was slowly improving.

Half an hour later, Kari sensed an ominous wind blowing, and a Hollow appearing. She turned and saw a hole being opened in the sky, and tall black Hollows with long pointed noses were climbing out. Kyon turned to look, and his jaw dropped.

Haruhi was staring wide-eyed at the two Gillian. "Are you sure you got this, Kari?"

She drew Slayer. "...Yes. Cut both ways, Slayer!" At the command, a shadow passed over Slayer, and when it left the Shikai was revealed: a falx, a blade that curved downwards, with the edge on the inside of the curve, and with a bone handle. Slayer's scent floated up, filling Kari's nose, bringing with it a sense of vast power.

She separated from Kyon and Haruhi. There was a normal Hollow with the two Gillian, but it was not heading for her- it was headed straight towards the Mikotos! She flash stepped into its path and in the blink of an eye had cut it down. Slayer's power surged within her, the strongest she had ever felt it. She took a quick breath to steady herself, then raised Slayer and faced one of the Gillian. As she moved her hand along the blade, Kari said "Reap, Slayer!" A heartbeat later the targeted Gillian was bifurcated, the Reap command producing a ranged cutting effect.

Quickly locking on to the other Gillian, Kari saw it was preparing to fire a Cero. But again, it was aiming for the Mikotos and not her! She looked at Haruhi and Kyon and saw they had passed out, for apparently no reason. Stepping directly into the path of the Cero, Kari braced herself and knocked it away with her hand, sending it far off towards the mountains. _I won't use Reap for this one. What do you say we take it on face to face, Slayer?_ Slayer roared his approval, and Kari was about to dispatch of the second Gillian when a shinigami flew by in a blur and cut it down. _What? I had it! I _had_ it beat!_

The shinigami flew back to her, and it was none other than Segato Sanjiro. "Are you okay, Kari? I was on my way out here to see how you three were doing when I sensed something going wrong." He then saw Kyon and Haruhi collapsed on top of each other. "How were they injured?"

"I don't know, I saw they had just suddenly passed out after I released Slayer."

Segato barely stopped his jaw from dropping. _And she doesn't even know, does she?_ "Kari, you'll... have to be a bit more careful releasing your zanpakuto in the presence of others in the future."

"Why would I- no... no!" Kari knelt down and checked Kyon and Haruhi's vital signs. They were still alive, but their pulses were shallow.

"Relax, Kari. Come on. Let's take them by Fourth Squad's infirmary."

Segato was about to pick up Kyon, but Kari stopped him. _I owe her at least this much..._ "I'll take Kyon, sir."

"Alright, but let's hurry over there; the Anniversary Ceremony starts in two hours." Barely noticing his weight, Kari picked up Kyon and followed.

Kari remembered Slayer's words from the night her mother had died. _I'm not a protector, Kari..._


	7. Chapter 7: Fear and Pain

The Ascension Garden had been planted in a courtyard on Fifth Squad's grounds. It was there to commemorate the war that started when one man declared, "...I will stand in the heavens..." and it was not uncommon to see the shinigami that had been around before the Winter War coming here to relax for a few minutes. The garden was in the shape of a tall triangle, featuring: a few shade trees, and shrubs trimmed in the shape of some buildings around Seiretei; the flowers that were the symbols of the Thirteen Protection Squads; and the nearer one got to the top of the triangle, the smaller the greenery got. There were bonsai trees instead of fully grown trees, tiny wildflowers; and the path narrowed as well, until it came to a stop over a pool of water. Around the edges of the pool was a miniature model of Soul Society, behind which were a few mounds of dirt to represent the Rukongai mountains.

Kari Kuraka was sitting on the stone stool at the end of the path, thinking over her last few years here. She had graduated from Shino Academy in just two years, while the Mikotos had graduated in four. Haruhi had gone to Fourth Squad, her skill with healing magic being top notch. Kyon had gone to Seventh Squad and had already become the Tenth Seat there, something he didn't let Kari or Haruhi forget. Kari herself had made it into Fifth Squad, where she could feel Segato Sanjiro keeping a close eye on her, even though see hardly ever saw him. She remembered his words when he had welcomed her and a few other graduates of the Academy to Fifth Squad:

_"Welcome! Well, I've never been one for public speaking, so I'm afraid this will be short. First I want to tell you all that in spite of the Winter War, Fifth Squad hasn't changed a bit. We're all still friends here. Feel free to ask for help from me or Vice-Captain Enjoji anytime. Uh, and speaking of friends, I'm still good friends with my old Squad and its Captain. And if I learned anything from Second Squad, it's dedication and teamwork. I want to encourage you to grow in these areas, so that Fifth Squad can be better than ever! So, congratulations on graduating from Shino Academy and welcome to Fifth Squad!"_

Kari's dedication had grown leaps and bounds during her time here, and she felt stronger than ever before. She had been training with Slayer at nearly every available opportunity, as she had remembered the human skeleton climbing out of the mountainside from when Slayer had appeared in her dreams. She was certain now that it was related to his Bankai, but all he ever said in regards to that was, "My wave must break itself against _your_ stone; the tide will answer for me then." The statement was unusually poetic for him, but Kari understood it easily enough. _So, he won't co-operate in that area until I achieve Bankai..._

Then Kari remembered what had happened on the rare occasions when she had used Slayer's Shikai; Slayer's overwhelming smell incapacitating the shinigami she had been working with. The teamwork aspect of Segato's welcoming speech hadn't worked so well because of that, and so mostly Kari did the menial work that Fourth Squad usually did, keeping herself away from the other shinigami of Fifth Squad.

Kari then turned her thoughts to Slayer. _"My wave must break itself against _your_ stone..."_ _Well, here I am. Let's see who breaks!_ Kari took Slayer from over her shoulder and laid the zanpakuto on her lap, and began to focus.

Segato had looked everywhere else for her, even though he knew she would be in the Ascension Garden again. He had been looking after her very closely since she'd been recruited into his Squad. She was an immeasurable talent, but he worried for her: her zanpakuto was jaw-droppingly powerful, and had such an effect on anyone in her area. He wasn't sure she would be ready to be an officer because of her age, but the position he had in mind was one of the easier officer positions, and would give her even more time to train.

As he walked into the Ascension Garden, a strong feeling of dread came over him. Kari was there, sitting on the stool as usual._ Jinzen again?_ But no, it wasn't Jinzen, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to sense her zanpakuto unless he was touching her. Curious, he walked closer. It was evening, and there were shadows over the pool as there normally would be; but in front of Kari they were deeper! Walking closer, Segato saw the shadows had solidified into a tall man, wearing a ragged black cloak, dark clothes and a skull mask that covered the top half of his face. "Kari? Everything alright?"

Slayer grinned and pointed behind Kari before fading out. _What? Who i- no, no no no! I was so close!_ Kari sighed. "Yes, everything is fine, Captain." _He's really not that bad, it's just he has the most awful sense of choosing when to speak with me..._

"Good. And, would you mind telling me who you were just speaking with?" He hadn't sensed anyone else here besides Kari, so...

"That- that was Slayer, Captain Sanjiro."

_Oh. My... Is- is she really that far along?_ "Sorry for the interruption, Kuraka-san." Segato cleared his throat. "The reason I was looking for you is I have an offer. I know how hard you've been working, and I was wondering if you would accept a position as Fifth Squad's Eighth Seat?"

"Eighth Seat? Um, I thought I was still too young to be an officer. Wouldn't someone else be more qualified?"

"Kari-chan, to be perfectly honest there's no one in our Squad more qualified. It was your age at first, but I think you're ready now. It's mostly a few reports- important ones, though- to fill out, and..." Segato glanced at Slayer. "...it's less stressful than your work now, and you would have more time to train, too."

_He is right... But..._ "I don't know, Captain. Could I really do it?"

"Kari-chan, something I found out the hard way is that every learning experience involves fear and pain. Let's say you were the Substitute Shinigami. Would you have learned the key to the Final Battle's victory if you hadn't gone through what you had?"

_He certainly wouldn't have!_ "No, of course not; but I'm not like him!"

"I know you're not like him, and for that matter I don't think there ever will be anyone like him. But you're young, and you still have a lot to learn. Being Eighth Seat could help you learn."

Kari thought in silence for a minute. "I... I'll accept the position, Captain."

Segato smiled. "Alright! Report to my office tomorrow for your first job."

As Segato walked away, Kari thought of Slayer again. Her Captain had interrupted her, but she had learned the steps she would need to take. Slayer- or anyone- wouldn't be able to talk down to her anymore, and she could at last be a serious shinigami. _I'm a real shinigami now, mother..._


	8. Chapter 8: Crossing the Streams

Even though she was broken, beaten and cut, Kari was content when she sheathed her zanpakuto. Now that _that_ was taken care of, she would focus on her spells.

But first, a drink. It was one of her many days off from the duties of Fifth Squad's Eighth Seat. Only two weeks ago had she accepted the position, and it was turning out to be one of the best decisions she'd ever made. The "important" reports her Captain had mentioned were actually mostly just the ones other people were too busy for, but she also had to gather information on various activities in Fifth Squad. She would then hand this in to Vice-Captain Enjoji; who sorted it out, edited it, and would turn it in to Ninth Squad for use in _Seiretei Communication Monthly._

After taking a long sip of water, Kari set down the canteen and cleared her mind. There were only the sounds of nature out here in the Rukongai mountains, and no one to worry about bothering if she released Slayer. She was at a high meadow, where many wildflowers grew and there seemed to be a lot of rabbits running around. First, Kari practiced one her old favorites: casting Pale Lightning from her eyes. Looking for a target, she saw a large leaf floating away from a tree. With a surge of concentration, the spell shot out from her eye and passed through the leaf on its way to a tree at the edge of the meadow. Practicing her accuracy with Pale Lightning for a good twenty minutes, Kari decided to move on to something she'd wanted to try for a long time.

The spell _White Crawl_ had always interested her. Although it hadn't been taken out of the textbooks, during the spells classes at Shino Academy it was insinuated that using it was a no-no. _It should be pretty harmless, it's just like any other spell. It all depends on how you use it._ But if Kari found a spell that could muddle the consciousness(or even incapacitate) of the target interesting, it intrigued her even more to see if the muddling could be directed around a specific area. Kari had thought of many ways to try this using the Double Incantation technique: doubling it with Orchid Sky, a cyclone-like spell, to intensely disorient them; doubling it with Temporal Stasis to trick the brain into thinking time had stopped was especially tempting, but Temporal Stasis was outright forbidden; and then there was doubling it with a fire spell to confuse the target into thinking its brain was burning from the inside out.

Kari had chosen to attempt doubling it with a fire spell. _I haven't used Abolishing Flames for a while... I'll try that one._ There was a rabbit in front of her, peacefully nibbling on some grass. _Sorry, little friend._ "The void that roars on the other side of chaos, slip beneath the flames and incinerate silently as you roar! Way of Binding and Destruction: White Flames!" Immediately the rabbit stop chewing its grass, its eyes widening. It suddenly darted off, crying out as it ran. Kari kept up with its mad dash, her guilt growing with every step. After she had been following it for a couple minutes, she sensed two Captain level shinigami approaching, one of which she was familiar with. She looked at the rabbit; it had run straight into a tree, and it pawed at its head before continuing the frenzied sprint. Kari felt absolutely horrible now, and knew this would only get worse when she bumped into the Captains.

At last, the rabbit had found what it was looking for: a cool mountain stream. It plunged in, wriggling and splashing around loudly. Kari stood watching it from behind a bush. With a start she realized that the Captains were very close. She could hear them talking now:

"Listen... there it is! It sounds like a wounded animal, Retsu-dono." It was her Captain who spoke this.

"You're right; and if I'm not mistaken it is a rabbit. It seems to be coming from the stream, just over there. I'll go see if I can help it." Fourth Squad's Captain Unohana appeared, walking over to the stream. She knelt down and gently scooped it out of the water, and carefully lowered it onto the grass. As she focused her healing magic on it, Unohana frowned. "This was not natural, Segato-san."

"Not natural? No one I know of comes here besides us and Kotetsu-san."

"This was the working of a spell, a cruel and sadistic spell. And a very unusual one, as I do not believe I have encountered its exact kind before."

"Who is that proficient in spells? Everyone I can think of is still in Seiretei."

"I think we will find out soon enough, I sense someone is standing behind us..."

Kari stepped out from behind the bush. "It was me, Captain Unohana. I did it." Both Captains appeared shocked, but Segato more so than Unohana.

"Kari...? Why?"

"I... was experimenting, I wanted to know how good I was, to see if I could control the spells _just so_; I didn't do it for some perverted sense of pleasure..."

Captain Unohana spoke. "No, in a way you did. You said you wanted to test your control of spells, and the only target in sight was an innocent animal. Who would do such a thing?" She sighed. "In spite of this and what I've heard of you, I do not believe you are truly so twisted, but this is very disappointing." Segato nodded his agreement. "And the spells, would I be correct in guessing White Crawl or something similar was used?"

Kari gulped. "Yes, it uh, was. I used the Double Incantation method, with White Crawl and Abolishing Flames." She saw her Captain grimace at this.

"White Crawl..." Unohana's expression became only slightly darker, but it terrified Kari. "I have never been in favor of that particular spell's use. In fact, I remember I once petitioned to make its use forbidden; I think I shall take that up again." Captain Unohana turned to Segato. "The flowers can wait for today. I want to bring this type of use of White Crawl before the Captain-Commander quickly. Let's head back to Seiretei."

As they walked back to Seiretei, Unohana placed a reassuring- or warning?- hand on Kari's shoulder.

It was dawn the next day, and Kari was in Captain-Commander Yamamoto's office. True to her word, Captain Unohana had brought Kari's use of White Crawl before Captain-Commander Yamamoto. In a matter of hours, the issue had gone to the Central 46 and Kari had been ordered to his office to be present for the outcome.

He opened the envelope containing the ruling. Yamamoto cleared his throat and read,

"In light of the fact that we have previously been petitioned for

outlawing the use of this spell, and that a recent deviation of

its use has shown to be particularly heinous, we therefore:

Declare all use of the spell White Crawl in conjunction with

the Double Incantation technique to be forbidden;

Furthermore, the perpetrator of the recent deviation of White Crawl's

appropriate use shall hereby be stripped of any rank that they currently

hold.

Thus it is written, so shall it be done."

Yamamoto laid the ruling on his desk and looked at Kari. "Shall I elaborate on this ruling, or do you understand?"

Kari looked down at her hands. "...I understand, Captain-Commander."

"Hmph! One of the lightest decisions they have handed down in more than a century. You are free to go now, Kuraka." As Kari turned and left, Yamamoto eyes settled on Slayer for a moment. _...A trick of the light. That most certainly cannot be what it appears to..._ But she was out the door before he could get a second look.

Walking away from Captain-Commander Yamamoto's office, Kari began to tear up. _Why? I've always tried my best, but it's never been good enough. I just wanted to be stronger, to be the best... but that poor rabbit... no..._ Kari was crying in earnest now, and a few shinigami turned to look at her. She picked up her pace, and began to jog. _And now no one will even think of talking to me, a criminal! I'll be stuck on the outside again, just like I was when I played "Shinigami" as a game. That's what this all feels like now; this is all a game out of my control and I'm just being toyed with..._ Even more shinigami were watching her now, and she began to run.

Up ahead she could see Segato Sanjiro walking towards her. "Kari, are you okay? What was the ruling?" He reached out a hand to comfort her but she slapped it away.

Kari could feel a powerful spell rising up in her. "NO! Don't you see? I'm just like that damn rabbit, and that's all. I've ever. BEEN!" Kari drew Slayer, and with a great cry she leapt over the balcony and slashed at the air, the spell leaping out of Slayer. Segato and dozens of First Squad's shinigami stood spellbound as a Garganta opened where Kari had slashed the air, and without even looking back Kari ran off into Hueco Mundo.


	9. Chapter 9: A Walk in the Forest

As she stepped into Hueco Mundo, all Kari could see was a forest of tall rock pillars, and almost as many Gillian. As she drew Slayer to ready herself for a fight, the Gillian turned towards Kari and began moving in. Not wanting them to get too close, she raised her hands to her mouth and shouted, "Way of Destruction Number Sixty-three: Thunder Roar Cannon!" The massive blast of electric energy shot out of her mouth, and hit the Gillian in front of her square in its mask. Several other Gillian were caught up in the resulting explosion, but none of them were completely destroyed.

_This could be the last thing I'll ever see.._. And she wasn't going down without a fight. _One more spell..._ This would be a big one, the strongest non-forbidden spell- _Though that doesn't matter much now,_ -that she knew. The Gillian were still a good distance away, so she wouldn't skip the incantation. "Limit of the thousand hands, respectful hands, unable to touch the darkness. Shooting hands unable to reflect the blue sky. The road that basks in light, the wind that ignited the embers, time that gathers when both are together, there is no need to be hesitant, obey my orders. Light bullets, eight bodies, nine items, book of heaven, diseased treasure, great wheel, gray fortress tower. Aim far away, scatter brightly and cleanly when fired. Way of Destruction Number Ninety-one: Thousand-Hand Bright Heaven Culling-Sear!" Kari thrust her hand towards the Gillian, and the spears of light flew towards them. The targeted Gillian was vaporized, and the explosion damaged one of the pillars as well as destroying many of the Gillian in the nearby area.

Blinking away the retinal after-images, Kari saw that even though Thousand-Hand Bright Heaven Culling-Sear had had a devastating effect there were still almost as many Gillian as there were before. _No, NO! I will not die like this! I can't just..._ Pulling Slayer out of the ground, she sensed he was ready and waiting. Making sure her mother's blue scarf was firmly in place, Kari raised Slayer and said, "Bankai!" A monstrous fanged mouth of shadow rushed up behind Kari and devoured her; and when it passed Slayer's Bankai was revealed: a bone war scythe, with a wound black leather grip around the middle of the shaft.

The Bankai had made a couple slight changes to Kari's outfit, too: she was now wearing Slayer's ragged black cloak, and had his skull mask. Kari slipped on the mask, so that any abilities she used would be at their full potential. Slayer's scent wafted out, and filled her nose. But it didn't smell like death to her- it smelled like raw power.

Taking hold of the grip and the lower half of the shaft, Kari swung in a wide arc as she called, "Reap, Man-Slayer!" The ranged cutting effect sliced through almost the entire front line of Gillian, separating them in half. It had hit several of the rock pillars as well, but it passed cleanly through them and they remained in one piece. Still not wanting to get too close, Kari called "Advance, Man-Slayer!", another ability held over from the Shikai. The bone shaft grew from six to eighteen feet in length, and the blade tripled in length as well. As she flash stepped back and forth amongst the Gillian, striking them down, Kari noticed something odd: the Gillian weren't fighting back. They followed her movements, but they didn't reach for her or fire a Cero. _What...? What is this...?_

Slowing down her assault, and then completely stopping, Kari raised up the skull mask and looked at the Gillian. They turned towards her and moved in closer, but _still_ did not attack. _This can't be right... what's wrong with me?_ Flash stepping away like a bolt of lightning, Kari raced through the Forest of Menos. As she wove in and out of the pillars, the tears that had been hiding during the battle leaked out again. She stopped and sat down against a pillar, and took off the skull mask. After a few moments she looked behind her; the Gillian were out of sight now. Surveying the landscape, all Kari saw was the same pillar of rock here and there and the rare shaft of light coming down from above. Except- well she wasn't sure, but she sensed someone walking towards her from her left.

"I'm a friend," She called into the distance. Peering towards her left she could now make out a figure in the shape of a man. It was hard to see, but he appeared to have a Hollow's mask, and wore a fur cloak. "I'm a friend," Kari repeated. "I'm a shinigami from Soul Society!" Suddenly the man flash stepped to only a few feet away from her.

"A shinigami? And how did you get here?" The question surprised Kari, and for a moment she was unable to answer.

"I... I think it was a Garganta, but I'm not really sure. I was running away."

"Then you chose the wrong place to run to; the Forest of Menos is no place for a coward."

"I'm not a coward! I was just angry, and confused and sad." She looked at Man-Slayer, which was now back to its normal size. "They hate me. And I think I'm starting to hate them, too."

The man removed the gazelle-like Hollow mask he was wearing. He had a handsome face and messy dark red hair, both of which were dirty and a little worn. "You're too young to know what hate really is, girl. I've been stuck here for hundreds of years, and I'm only beginning to understand what true hate is." The man and Kari stared at each other in silence for a few moments.

"I'm Kari. Kari Kuraka." The man didn't answer, but instead nodded and started walking past Kari. She followed.

"As I said before, this is no place for a coward," He glanced over his should at Kari. "There are more Gillian and even stronger Menos here than you could imagine." Kari nodded, remembering her encounter with the swarm of Gillian she had faced earlier. "I have a hideout here, but if you stay with me you'll have to protect yourself. There are just too many Menos for me to always be looking after you."

_Well, I can do that pretty well, thank you._ Then, Kari noticed that the man seemed relatively un-affected by Man-Slayer and its scent. _He must be strong, to survive in a place like this..._ The man's hideout was only a short walk away, and within a few minutes Kari could see light coming from it up ahead. But when they were still a good distance away, there was a terrible howl of a Hollow in the distance. Not one of rage, though. A howl of pure instinctual fear.

"Hurry!" The man and Kari flash stepped up to the cave, and waited.

"I don't sense anything coming," Kari said.

The man shook his head. "I don't either, but that can change in an instant." They walked away from the mouth of the cave, and the man headed towards a small fur bundle on the other side of a few... graves? He didn't say anything to Kari about them- actually, he said nothing at all. Kari sat nearby, and the two sat in silence for more than an hour. "Ashido Kano," he suddenly said.

"Hmm? Oh, is that...?" Kari pointed towards the headstones.

"No, it's my name. But to be honest, sometimes I forget..." A few minutes of silence followed.

"...Have you ever found a way out of here?"

Ashido nodded. "I have, but I just can't seem to be able to leave my friends here..."

Kari took off her mother's scarf and ran her hands through it. "...If you still remember them, then they'll be with you no matter where you go. I'm sure there's some place more comfortable than this, and with less Hollows around." Kari though back to her shinigami history lessons. What was the name of the place Aizen had stayed in Hueco Mundo? "I think there's a castle somewhere above, called Las Noches. Maybe we could stay there."

Ashido didn't answer for a couple minutes. "I think I will, actually. I've been here so long... you said you came here through a Garganta. Do you think you could do it again?" Kari nodded. "Then I'll come with you to Las Noches, if you promise me we'll go back to Soul Society someday."

It was Kari's turn to not reply for a few minutes. _Maybe... maybe if I stay here for a while, everything will be better for it when I go back to Soul Society..._ "Alright. I promise you I'll take us back to Soul Society someday."

Ashido nodded, and the two shook on it. The rest of the evening passed in silence, and Kari drifted off to sleep.

It was morning, and Ashido and Kari were heading out to the exit, when they heard another Hollow howling in fear.

"That's coming from the direction of the exit," Ashido said.

"Should we head back to the cave?"

"No, we're already halfway there. We'll just have to be extra cautious." And extra cautious they were, keeping to the shadows even though there was hardly any light. The exit was in sight in the far distance when they heard another howl- barely a stone's throw away! Kari and Ashido drew their zanpakuto.

A figure walked up, laughing wildly. It saw Ashido and called, "Oh, who's the friend?" It was a woman's voice.

"None of your business." He answered. _I've sensed powerful Hollow before, but... whoever this is makes them seem weak in comparison..._

The figure stepped into the light. It was indeed a woman, wearing a one-shoulder top and a bottom made of a striped dark grey fur. She had a strong jaw and even stronger shoulders; tanned skin, and hair the color of blood; as if she had just... but most alarming of all, she had a zanpakuto slung across her back. She spoke, "Haha, she must be new here, I've only heard of one shinigami here. Hehehe..."

Despite the questionable coloring of her hair, Kari still could see the woman was attractive. She wasn't scared, however, and she answered. "I'm Kari Kuraka, from Fifth Squad. And yes, I am new here, I only arrived yesterday."

The woman chuckled. "Well, since you introduced yourself: I'm Mai Shiruna, an old Vasto Lorde and a relatively new Arrancar; I only became one around a hundred and twenty years ago." She laughed again. "I was just down here getting a quick bite to eat, because I'm so hungry, ya know? Heh. That doesn't explain what you two are doing in my food bowl, though."

Against her better judgment, Kari answered. "We were just leaving, for Las Noches."

Mai chuckled again. "Another shinigami takeover? Well, at least you're not Barragan or that prick Aizen. Honestly, I don't know why I didn't think of going to Las Noches sooner. I'd do better than either of those two did." She flipped her hair over her shoulder, revealing a mask remnant in the shape of a fang earring. "Hmm, I wonder if Leo or that bastard Anton thought of going there, too..."

Kari was confused, and asked, "Who are Leo and Anton?"

"Oh, they're just the other Vasto Lordes around here." Mai smiled. "And whatever they might say, I'm the stronger of us three. Since I became an Arrancar I'm almost as strong as Starrk was in the old days."

Kari then tried a wild idea. "Well, it was nice meeting you Mai, but we'll be on our way out. Bye." Kari took Ashido's hand, and pulled him with her. The look in his eyes said, _What the _HELL _are you doing?_

Smiling, Mai walked alongside them. "But we just met! How could you run off like that!" She laughed quietly. "I don't know what, but there's something I like about you, Kari. This could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship."

A chill went up Kari's spine. _...just like the Gillian... really?_ She looked at Slayer. _Does this have something to do with him...?_

As they came up to the exit, Mai motioned for them to stop. "Hehe, it's a pretty long walk to Las Noches from here. Hold on." Mai then gave a wolf whistle. After a moment of silence, Kari and Ashido heard powerful wings beating the air. They look up, and a large pterosaur-like Hollow was approaching. "This is my pet, Fluffy. She can take us there in less than half the time." Fluffy landed, and Mai hopped onto its back. She smiled, and waved for Kari and Ashido to come on board.

Ashido looked to Kari. She whispered, "I think it should be alright. The Hollows seem to act different around me..."

He thought to himself, _I'm probably going to regret this someday..._ "...Alright then. Let's go." He and Kari jumped onto Fluffy, who took off immediately. And they flew off towards Las Noches, Mai laughing all the way.


	10. Chapter 10: The Big House

Kari stood at Las Noches, looking out from a high window. She and Ashido had now been at Las Noches for three months, living in relative peace. The view from the window, though, Kari didn't quite know what to think of that.

Where one would normally be seeing a desert, there was a sea of Hollows. Their number had slowly been building over time, waiting for something. "I'm tired of seeing them out there," Kari said. Even if it was bleak, the view had been smooth and even at first, and it calmed Kari. "Mai?"

The Vasto Lorde chuckled as she walked over from the shadows in the corner. "Yes?"

"Go and have the gate opened; let them in."

"Hoho! What brought about this change of heart, my dear Kari?"

Kari sighed. "I don't think it's a change of heart. Back in Soul Society, I used to spend time in the mountains, and doing that always calmed me so much. I just need something like that here, and it's just not working with all those Hollow out there..."

"Hehe. As you wish, Kari." Mai flipped her hair over her shoulder, then turned and walked off.

Mai's behavior was troubling Kari. Even with Slayer's Bankai, the Arrancar still was stronger than her; though that was slowly changing as Kari trained. If she was so powerful, why didn't Mai take control for herself? _But being the one in charge doesn't seem like her style, and she even said she didn't know why she hadn't thought of it before. But that doesn't explain all of it..._ Kari sighed. She would need to tell Ashido about the decision. After one more look out of the window, she walked over to their room and opened the door.

Ashido was sitting on one of the simple chairs that Aizen had favored, and just as Kari had been a moment ago he was also staring out the window. "Ashido?" He looked over to her. He had cleaned up some once he'd come to Las Noches, and Kari found him even more handsome. She cleared her throat. "I've decided to let in the Hollow."

"What for? They do just fine out there."

"I know that, but the view... it isn't the same with them crowding it. It used to be so peaceful..."

"It's quiet in here, too." Ashido, Kari and Mai had found the fortress nearly deserted, only a few small and weak Hollows running through the halls.

"But this place is so huge, we probably wouldn't see most of them. It would be fine." Ashido went silent, and Kari knew he was thinking about the Hollows coming in to Las Noches._ Well, of course he'd be opposed. He's been fighting them every day for longer than I've been alive..._ "Sorry I didn't consult you on this."

Ashido adjusted his cloak. "As long as you can still keep them in line, it'll be good enough."

"Oh! I think I've finally figured that out. You've noticed how Slayer releases that smell sometimes when I'm wielding him?" Ashido nodded, the sickly sweet heat-and-sweat scent was very familiar to him now. "I think the Hollow are attracted to it, like it smells like another Hollow, almost." Neither of them spoke for a while after this, and Kari pulled up another chair and sat beside Ashido. After they had been staring out the window for several long minutes, lost in their thoughts, Kari noticed that some point one of them had reached for the other's hand, and was holding it.

A few days later, Kari was headed to the large room where she did her training. There were several Hollow following behind her making loud noises, bumping into each other as they went. The sounds grew louder as they walked down the long hallway, shrieks and grunts coming up to Kari's ears.

_Urgh... I couldn't get there fast enough today..._ Finally, she came the warehouse-like room. The door having been blasted to pieces during an earlier session, she walked right in. Today she would start with her usual flash steps excercise.

Kari picked up the rock, which was by the entrance where she had left it. She walked out into the room, and threw the soccerball sized rock into the air. She then flash stepped up to meet it at the peak of its arc, and hit it up. She flash stepped around it, knocking it about but never letting it drop or move around more than a foot. This was a bit of exercise in her unarmed combat, too: Kari would sometimes throw in a punch or snap a kick at the rock. Then, still not letting it fall, Kari continued flash stepping around the rock, but moved it around in a circle. When she had completed the circle, she began moving it in a circle vertically; and once she had done that Kari came down to the ground, still holding the rock.

Next she would usually be going through the slow unarmed combat forms, keeping the rock balanced on her hands or feet. But the Hollow were distracting her with all their noise. Kari looked over at them, and now they were fighting amongst themselves! Dropping the rock, she focused and called out: "Split Lightning!" The spell's forking lightning bolts shot out from her eyes, and fried all but one of the Hollows out of existence.

"Listen! I will not tolerate any violence in Las Noches. You are _guests_ here, and I will not allow it. Go and tell your kind. _Now._" The ape-like Hollow scampered off to do as it was told. Kari took a few breaths to steady herself, and picked up the rock. She was interrupted almost immediately by Mai.

"Hey there, Kari! Hahaha, a couple people just showed up, I just thought you'd like to meet them."

"Who are they?"

Mai smirked. "Oh, it'll be a surprise. They're waiting in that old conference room of Aizen's."

_Shinigami? Hollows? Who could it be?_ "I'll be there in a minute." First, she would get Ashido. Kari had a feeling this was serious. Slipping into a deep focus, Kari began to use Spatial Displacement- to save time on getting there by teleporting- and with a flash of green light she vanished.

Ashido sensed Kari suddenly appear in their room. "Hmm? What is it?" Ashido knew she only used the teleporting spell to when she was in a hurry to get somewhere.

"Mai just told me that we have visitors, but she didn't say where from. I wanted to bring you along with me to meet them." Even though she was by far much stronger than Ashido, Kari felt safer when he was around.

"Alright then." Ashido picked up his zanpakuto. "Let's go and give them a warm welcome!" He stood next to Kari, as she once more used Spatial Displacement. A beat later, they appeared in Aizen's conference room.

Mai perked up when she saw them arrive. "Kari, this is Leo Valentez and Anton Scorpira." Leo nodded; he was a large man with large, blond hair and a square jaw. Along the left side of his jaw and up to his ear was a toothed mask remnant. Anton merely kept glaring; his stringy, limp black hair partially obscuring his thin face. His mask remnant was a claw-like shape around his eye and leading to behind his ear. Kari almost shuddered; Anton had one of those faces that looked inherently evil.

Anton spoke. "Tell me, shinigami, what's so great about you that that bitch dragged us here to meet you?" He had a high voice, which Kari also thought of as being evil.

"Ahem. Well, for one I came here voluntarily." Anton almost imperceptably raised an eyebrow. "Though really, I would not say that there is very much out of the ordinary about me, except maybe for my zanpakuto..."

"Are you going to show us or not?" Asked Leo. "A shinigami isn't much good without their zanpakuto."

Not using the incantation or spell name, Kari puffed out the destructive spell Thrust, and knocked an empty chair away. "I am. But here, I'll show you." She reached up and drew Slayer from over her shoulder. The reverse-edged zanpakuto gleamed, seeming to be especially sharp. The three Arrancar took in the skull and crossbones hilt and wickedly sharp blade silently.

"Somewhat interesting," Anton said flatly.

"Hehe, you seem impressed, Anton. She's great, isn't she?" Mai laughed again.

"Anton's right, the blade is somewhat interesting." Leo said. "But why should we stay here and follow you? We could very well take Las Noches for ourselves."

"Huh, but of course Shiruna would come running for someone to hide behind." Mai didn't like Anton's remark, and her perma-smile took on a slightly threatening edge.

"I never asked for you or any other Hollow to follow me. But if you do, you should remember that Las Noches belongs to me and Ashido. If you step foot in it you have to deal with our rules, and any consequences of breaking them."

Anton laughed at this, but Leo shook his head. "She's serious, Anton. And we both know very well that Mai doesn't hang around _losers_."

Ignoring the barb, Anton said, "But that still doesn't give us a good reason to stay."

"Think about this, Anton: have you seen how many Hollow are coming here?" Mai's smile became a little predatory. "We wouldn't have to spend days searching for another meal to eat!" Mai chuckled, as evilly as a chuckle could sound.

Leo yawned. "Well, either way I don't particularly care, but this could be interesting." The Vasto Lordes looked at each other, until it seemed they had come to an agreement.

"Fine," Anton said. "Just remember this was Shiruna's idea."

"Okay. If we've reached an agreement here, I'll be on my way. I was in the middle of my training exercises." Kari took Ashido's hand, and used Spatial Displacement to teleport out.


	11. Chapter 11: Queen of the Night

As usual, Kari and Ashido were at the window in their room, looking out over the barren landscape of Hueco Mundo. It had been a day like many others there: Kari and Ashido trained together, and afterwards Kari would spend time alone in Jinzen, communicating with Slayer. Lately it was getting to be an enormous strain, as Slayer was very reluctant to share any information.

After Kari had finished her time in Jinzen, she and Ashido might chat for a little while. Ashido had opened up some in his time at Hueco Mundo, but he was still a serious man. Occasionally, Mai and Leo- but almost never Anton- would join in on the conversation. Anton was seldom seen around the fortress; he was more like a frequent visitor than someone who lived there. Kari didn't mind, though. Anton was a cynical and sarcastic man. And many days passed in that manner.

Kari's mind went back to earlier in the day. _The Hollow are getting restless... I need to do something about them..._ There had been a massive fight amongst the Hollow; it had started out between two, but more and more poured in as it went on. Kari remembered how Ashido had approved the Hollow coming in to Las Noches, on the grounds that she kept them in line. For a long time she did so, using Spatial Displacement and teleporting to the scenes herself. But the fights became increasingly more common, and Kari couldn't be everywhere at once, so... she used her skill with the spell Spatial Displacement to teleport live destructive spells to the fight's area instead. This was a watershed moment for her time in Las Noches. After she had begun doing so, the Hollows held her in very high regard- and fear, and even more Hollows crowded in and around Las Noches. In this manner many weeks had passed; but today's melee she stopped with only her presence and a stern glare.

But what was most disturbing of all, was that Kari noticed there was a specific kind of howl or noise the Hollows would sometimes make in her presence. She thought of it as the sonic equivalent of Slayer's scent. The noise itself wasn't what bothered her though: it was the fact that, like Slayer's odor, the noise _didn't_ bother her. There were even a few instances where it sounded organized, almost. And so, several months of nights filled with the Hollow's cry passed on.

Kari looked at Ashido's hand, and took it in hers. _It's been over a year since Mai brought Leo and Anton here..._ Mai, Kari and Leo had become something like friends, even though they knew that technically they were on the wrong sides for that to be happening. Ashido was not so welcoming towards the Vasto Lordes, but he didn't outright refuse to talk to them. Sometimes he refused to talk to her, though. _He must be thinking of his friends that died in the Forest of Menos... and we're both shinigami, too. We're not supposed to be living with the enemy like this, right?_ That particular elephant was a frequent visitor to the room, and it could make living with Ashido tense. Kari tried to ease the tension however she could, but she had to admit her jokes were even worse than Mai's, and Ashido had only laughed at one _once._

Edging a little closer, Kari squeezed Ashido's hand. _Even though we share a room... why, though?_ Looking at the horizon, Kari saw a large bird-like Hollow flying by. For a brief moment, she saw it as a bird soaring over the mountains of Rukongai. "Ashido... it's time now, our time now."

"For what? There's still an hour to go until sunset, and we've walked all around Las Noches today. What's left to do?"

Heat crept up to Kari's face. _I... I don't think he ever would..._ "Return to Soul Society; let them know their pillar of strength has arrived."

Ashido sighed. "It must have been more than a hundred years ago now... but a shinigami once told me that in spite of all my fighting in the Forest of Menos the number of Hollows appearing in Soul Society and the living world hadn't changed."

"When did any shinigami come to the Forest of Menos?"

"It was the Substitute Shinigami's group, they passed through there on the way to here. One of his friends told me." A vague sort of smile was on his face.

"I'd forgotten they'd come here. Mostly people just remember the Winter War's Final Battle." Kari squeezed Ashido's hand again. "But Soul Society. I want to go back now, it feels right this time."

"It's been on my mind lately, too." Ashido said, nodding. "One more sunset. I think I'll be fully ready then." The sunsets in Hueco Mundo had been a little jarring for Kari at first, her being used to the more majestic sunsets in the Rukongai mountains in Soul Society. In Hueco Mundo, the sunset cast the desert in long and thin shadows from the quartz "trees", and sharply silhouetting the few boulders and trees. Kari thought of it as looking blank, but Ashido said he found a subtle art in it, and enjoyed it.

Kari awoke, slightly embarrassed. Ashido was already standing by the window, as if he hadn't moved since last night. Kari sat up in bed, and said, "I'll be ready to go in a few minutes, I just need to get dressed all the way." She slipped out of bed and picked up her shinigami uniform from the nearby chair, hurriedly putting on the top and pants. She was knotting her belt and turning towards Ashido when she sensed she was forgetting something. _Oh! Mother's scarf..._ It was still on the chair, where it would've been under her uniform. Kari tied it on, and grabbed Slayer from under her pillow, hanging it over her shoulder. "Ready, now."

Kari then took a few deep breaths to calm herself and focus, and then used Spatial Displacement to take her and Ashido to the desert in front of Hueco Mundo. _One more forbidden spell to go..._ "Ashido, you might want to stand behind me for a minute..."

"Hmm? Leaving a parting gift for our friends?"

"Something of the sort. I'm a shinigami, and I'm not going to miss a chance to destroy a castle packed with Hollows and three Vasto Lordes." Kari drew Slayer, and cut her thumb. She drew a circle in the air with her blood, as she recited, "Ye lords! Mask of sanity and grace, crippled healing hands, crying blood, sweat and tears. Show your scars, riding forth in sacrifice." Kari had finished drawing the circle of blood in the air now, and it began to glow as she finished the incantation. "A strike from the heavens to reprieve, shouting your name, in earth, sky, and blood! Way of Destruction Number Ninety-four: Flying Lotus, Heavenly Fire Crash Down!"

An almighty flare of red tinged white-hot fire energy lanced towards Las Noches, fusing the sand beneath it to glass as it passed. It connected with the fortress in a breathtaking(literally) explosion of golden-white heat and light, bringing Las Noches crumbling to its knees. But Kari didn't have time to see the annihilation the forbidden spell had caused.

"Let's hurry! I'm not sure if that completely destroyed Las Noches or not, and I don't think Anton and the others would be too happy about it." Recalling the same emotions as when she had fled to Hueco Mundo a very long year and four months ago, Kari took Slayer and slashed at the air, the Garganta opening in front of them. And once more, Kari and Ashido ran through the Garganta without looking back.


	12. Chapter 12: Hero Worship

"-yeah, that'th totally what sthe thaid! I think. Acthually, now I'm pretty thure it was just the sake talking. And maaaaaybe not-even-that."

Tetsuzaemon Iba totally understood where Kyon Mikoto was coming from with that last remark. He passed the bottle to Ikkaku Madarame and said, "I never thought of her as the drinking type, though. Some people just aren't man enough for it, Kyon; that's a fact of life."

Ikkaku took a sip("Hey, that's a gulp!") from the bottle and said, "And how many shinigami do we know of in the Gotei Thirteen that _aren't_ single, anyways?" He passed the bottle to Kyon.

"True 'dat, Ikakku." Kyon drank a little. "I jutht hope- hic- that Captain Komamural never findthz owt. Oh gowth, think of teh rammafuckations..."

Kyon was just sitting there staring into space, so Tetsuzaemon snuck the bottle away and had a sip. "Well, he won't be hearing it from her. I sthaw her papers, and she'll be stationed in th' real world for a few months."

Kyon looked up through the trees in Seventh Squad's training grounds for a moment. Normally he would have been shocked by what he saw there in the sky: a man wearing a fur cloak with Hollow masks on it, and wearing a gazelle-like mask over his face; standing next to him was a woman wearing a blue scarf, with very long dark brown hair that was blowing in the breeze; and she looked familiar. But at the moment the sake was shielding him, and all he said was, "Hey guyths! There's a Vaithard and some totally hot chick standing next to a hole in the sthky!"

Ikkaku looked up, but by then the Garganta had closed and Kari and Ashido had flash stepped away. "Where? They must be invisible, Kyon."

"Trutht me Ikakkukakkukakku, some invisble thingth aren't really invidsble... like last night." Tetsuzaemon and Ikkaku murmured their agreement, and they soon forgot all about Kari and Ashido's entrance.

Kari and Ashido were now at Fifth Squad's buildings. Kari turned to Ashido and said, "I'll talk to Captain Sanjiro first. Which Squad will you be going to?"

"I'll go to Thirteenth, that's where I started."

Before either of them had too much time to think about it, Kari gave Ashido a quick kiss on the cheek. "Okay. Goodbye for now." Kari flash stepped down to the main office, and entered.

She walked up to the reception desk, a where a young woman was busy sorting through papers. "Nakima-chan, is Captain Sanjiro busy?"

Nakima didn't look up from her work, hurriedly writing something down. "No, he should be in his office. There's nothing going on today." Kari looked around, and aside from one shinigami whose jaw and the papers they had been carrying dropped, no one noticed her.

"Okay, thanks." Kari didn't have to walk far; Segato's office was near the front of the building. Other than a nameplate that was little more than a piece of paper with his name on it, there was nothing that indicated this was a Captain's office. Kari knocked.

"Ah, hold on a minute-" There were a few seconds of silence. "-alright, come on in." Kari walked in. At first, Segato didn't recognize her. "K-Kari? Is that really you?"

"Yes, Captain. I was wondering if you would let me start working here again." Kari looked at this as her second chance here; no forbidden spells or releasing Slayer.

"Work here aga- I'll get back to that in a little bit. What I really want to know is how you survived Hueco Mundo!"

"Uh, well..." _Some of the things that happened there will have to stay secret, like the fact I used forbidden spells like they were going out of style. And perhaps Slayer's Bankai- well, just that _one_ ability. Hmm._ "I accidentally came out in the Forest of Menos. There was a shinigami named Ashido Kano living there, and we moved into Las Noches."

"Ashido Kano... that would be the man the Substitute Shinigami's group met there, right?"

"Uh-huh. He came back with me."

"My math might be wrong on this, but if it isn't he hasn't been in Soul Society for nearly nine hundred years!" Segato looked at Kari, all grown up now. Her hair had grown long, and there was something _different_ in her eyes, but he could still see the cute young girl Shugo had found at a tea shop somewhere in there. "And it's been more than a year since you left. I'm glad you came back."

_No, I came home..._ "I'm glad I made it back, too."

Segato smiled, and nodded. "You said you and Ashido went to Las Noches, what was that like?

_Careful!_ "It was practically deserted when we arrived. A lot of Hollows came around once we got there, though."

"Alright. You said you wanted to start working here again? Well, anyone that can survive Hueco Mundo for over a year can work in my Squad anytime. Welcome back, Kari."

"Thank you, Captain." Segato stood, and opened the door for Kari- to find several people had been listening in. They quickly pretended to be on their way somewhere, and one person even attempted to drink from the empty glass they'd been holding to the door to hear.

He glanced at Kari, then back to the glass. "Oh! I'm out again. Why is the sake always gone?" He shook his head and walked off.

_Well, they would have found out sooner or later; I guess sooner will have to do._..

If people were surprised by Kari's return, that was nothing compared to what Ashido went through. It was like the second coming of the Substitute Shinigami; he instantly became a hero among the Gotei Thirteen. He took it very well, as someone a milennia old doesn't let too much go to their head.

A part of Kari was jealous of how they treated Ashido. While she had soon settled back into her old routine of doing the cleaning jobs with Fourth Squad and training, people almost worshipped the ground Ashido walked on. He'd tried to help once, saying that Kari was "A masterful swordsman, and amazing with spells, too." but that hadn't worked so great. It was said that if Kari was tough for surviving there a year, Ashido was over eight hundred times as tough because he'd been there over eight hundred years. There was even talk of him becoming an officer and being given a special award.

Or maybe, she was jealous because it had only been the two of them in Hueco Mundo.

It was evening a few days after their return, and Kari was once again at the end of the Ascension Garden. She had simply been enjoying the view, until how Ashido was being treated suddenly illuminated something Kari had wanted to ignore: how the Hollows had treated her at Las Noches. She now recognized their strange howl for what it was, and it turned her mood dark. _Who am I, that they would do that? I've never wanted that; I'd just hoped I could have a place and... person to stay with._ The thought brought Kari back to her mother. _I... I wanted to deserve a place, a place beside you._ She heard someone coming into the Garden._ Hmm? Oh, it's just him..._

Segato walked up behind Kari. She didn't turn around to face him, and sat quietly gazing out over the pool. "Kari, I've invited Ashido over for tea. Would you like to join us?"

Still staring down at the model of Soul Society, Kari said, "Do you know what it's like to be worshipped, Captain?"

Segato involuntarily took a step back. _Wha- we're even in the Ascension Garden..._ "No, Kari. Is this about Ashido?"

"That's been bothering me too, but no it's not about him."

"Then what is it, Kari? I wan- I'm _ordering_ you to tell me." _You don't just talk about being worshipped in the Ascension Garden for no reason..._

Kari stood and turned to face her Captain. She was as tall as he was now(five foot eight), and she looked him in the eye. "It was the Hollows, Captain Sanjiro. Thousands and thousands of Hollow, and even a _Vasto Lorde_, they bowed down to me! They followed me everywhere, fighting over who would walk first behind me. They worshipped me for hours, during the night! I was their _god_, Captain... and what am I here? You don't step down from being a god without feeling that _something_ is missing..."

Segato stared down Kari. _That's what's different about her eyes... there's no sparkle to them anymore..._ "I think a nice cup of tea would help calm you down."

_That's it. I have finally had enough of you, Segato Sanjiro._ "I would like to become a Captain, someday."

The remark blindsided Segato. "That's possible, Kari. You're certainly skilled enough to be one. But we have all the Captains we need at the moment."

"In three days, _sir_, I challenge you to Trial by Combat, to become Captain of Fifth Squad."


	13. Chapter 13: High Noon

On the first day, there was confusion.

Kari's challenge to Segato came unexpected to just about everyone. Fifth Squad now remembered Kari, the mysteriously powerful cleaning girl with an odd zanpakuto. What did she want, exactly? And did she really expect to beat a man who was one of the heroes of the Winter War's Final Battle?

Segato Sanjiro was confused, too. He knew better than anyone else what Kari was capable of; and quite frankly, it scared him. The two faced Arrancar he fought a hundred plus years ago, that hadn't gotten to him; and he had been so patriotic and focused during the Winter War's Final Battle that he didn't have time to think over it. But a young girl who had only been a shinigami for three years, that scared him?

_I've gotten soft,_ he thought. He wondered what his former Captain(Soi Fon) would think of that. Then, from the depths of his memory, a phrase surfaced. _I've never thought he would be right more than once... this is just unbelievable._ He would ask Captain-Commander if he could review that particular "incoherent rambling" of The Prophet's. For some inexplicable reason, his statements were only released on a need-to-know basis, even though only one of them had ever come true.

_It's worth a shot, though._ And off he went to Captain-Commander Yamamoto's office.

Kari deflected the blade as it snaked towards her heart. She had been dueling Slayer for many hours now, and was getting nowhere in a hurry. No matter how hard she pressed him, or how hard he pressed her, neither one gave an inch. Despite all her efforts, it seemed there was nothing more. Slayer came at her with a grim determination, driving the battle over the mountainside towards the small clearing out of the wind.

Cloak flowing behind him, he streaked in from the side and slashed, continuing the attack by flowing into a thrust. Kari as usual blocked, as she knew his style well enough to know what was coming-

With a snap, Kari broke out of Jinzen. _His style..._ _all this time, that's what I've been missing..._ Even thought she had spent countless hours in Jinzen while she was in Hueco Mundo, Kari had only learned two things about Slayer's Bankai. There was the absolutely-out-of-the-question ultimate ability, and Repent: which involved wearing Slayer's skull mask so any abilities would be fully effective. _I'd never thought to fight using his techniques before._ Slayer's style was unique; zigging where one would normally zag, and moving around in a circle motion where one would go straight ahead. Kari took a sip of water from the canteen, drew Slayer, and began to practice.

On the second day, there was anxiety.

Kari Kuraka was reasonably certain of the outcome of her challenge, but doing so would be no mean feat. He _was_ a Captain. On top of him fighting in the Winter War's Final Battle, Kari had overheard on more than one occasion that he was one of the top swordsmen in all of Soul Society, after the senior Captains and Zaraki. _No matter how I look at this, it's going to be difficult…_

So she had bought a copy of _Avalanche and Wind-Shadow_, the recounting of the legendary sparring match between Segato and his current Vice-Captain, Tatsufusa Enjoji. Segato's style was described as being sharp and direct, and his demeanor in battle as arrogant and careless. _Arrogant and careless? That had to have been an act; he's pretty much the exact opposite of that._ So she read on, studying Segato's style, with a little bit more amusement than she had initially thought she would.

Segato had never given up his habit of attempting cool one-liners in battle, though he had very seldom seen a fight since the Winter War had concluded. He was reasonably certain of the outcome of Kari's challenge, but he was more focused on what the aftermath would be. _She goofed up when she challenged me, this just isn't the way she should become a Captain._ _Does she even know what she'll be doing to Fifth Squad?_ Segato sighed. _The consequences will never be the same..._

Segato looked down at his writing desk. Captain-Commander Yamamoto had given him the go ahead to review the prophecy, and Segato was re-evaluating every single word in it for a hidden meaning. _This isn't incoherent, he clearly has a distinct style and rhythm here; the verbs at the end of every line rhyme, adjectives are always in bold.._. But try as he might, he could only understand one phrase: _Smells like __**bad**__ spirits..._

On the third day, there was resignation. Yes, this was really going to happen. And this hadn't just stayed amongst Fifth Squad, either. Captain Unohana and Captain Soi Fon would be attending as well, bringing several members of their Squads. There were already a few rumors going around that the Captain-Commander himself was going to attend.

It was high noon- the only appropriate time for duels- when Segato said, "I'm ready."

Tatsufusa Enjoji nodded. "Who dares to challenge Captain Segato Sanjiro for leadership of Fifth Squad?"

Kari walked forward, feeling the full weight of more than three hundred stares following her. "I do."

"On what grounds?"

"...Irreconcilable differences..."

Tatsufusa flash stepped away. "Then let the trial by combat commence."

Segato flash stepped high into the air, and was surprised to find that Kari had already beat him to the spot. _Didn't know she was that fast..._ For a while, neither of them moved nor spoke. Then, almost in unison, they drew their zanpakuto: Wind-Shadow, a powerful wind type zanpakuto that had a dark green and white wrapped handle, and a hilt in the shape of cloud; and Slayer, a reverse-edged zanpakuto with a skull-and-crossbones hilt.

"You don't have to do this, Kari! One last chance, to end this peacefully."

Kari scowled at Segato. "...It's a little too late for that now."

"I really don't want to do this, Kari. You can't win, and you'll never be a true Captain!"

"You don't even know _half_ of what I'm capable of!"

"Oh? Then why don't you show me?" Segato threw down Wind-Shadow and spread his arms out. "Hit me! Nail me! _Make me god!_"

There was an unbearably long second of silence. And then faster than the blink of an eye, Kari had run through Segato.


	14. Chapter 14: My Struggle

Kari looked at herself in the mirror: her heart-shaped face had acquired a few freckles in Hueco Mundo, and her dark brown hair had grown down to between her shoulder blades. She normally kept it around the base of her neck, but Kari found she liked it better long. Kari still had her mother's blue scarf, and wore it today. Taking the sash she had made from the old black cloak she'd found Slayer wrapped in, Kari tied closed her Captain's jacket. She looked in the mirror one more time. _I'm not as pretty as Captain Unohana, but this is alright for now._

Walking out of her room, Kari made her way to Fifth Squad's main courtyard, where she had gathered most of her Squad. She passed a few people on the way there, and they looked away and kept walking on. _I'm their Captain now..._ As she arrived at the courtyard, she found that there were far fewer shinigami in attendance than there should have been.

One of the last things Segato Sanjiro spoke came back to her. "_You can't win! You'll never be a true Captain!" ...he was right. They'll never warm up to me..._ Kari cleared her throat. "Good morning!" She gulped. "When I was welcomed to this Squad, I was told that we're all still friends here. That will not change! My differences were with Captain Sanjiro, not any of you. Uh, another thing Captain Sanjiro mentioned was working on improving our teamwork and dedication. I would like to suggest working on our teamwork with the other Squads, not just within our own.

Now, I know all of you probably dislike how I became Captain. If it makes you feel any better, I am starting to dislike it as well. But, it's in the past now, and I can't go back and change the past. Who wouldn't, if they could? All we can hope for is to make today the best we can, and that's what I aspire to do with all of you as Captain of Fifth Squad. Thank you to everyone who came." Kari smiled, and waited for everyone to leave. Considering the attendance, that didn't take long.

Tatsufusa Enjoji walked up now. "I have this month's Soul Governance report here... Captain." There was a slightly skeptical look on his face.

"Thank you, I was wondering when I would get it." There were several seconds of silence between the two. "I assume you heard my little announcement?"

"Yes..." Not long before their Trial by Combat, Segato had told him _"Tatsufusa... this won't end how everyone thinks it will. Be kind to her."_ And after the unthinkable had happened, Tatsufusa now understood what his Captain had meant. "I will be very blunt here, Captain: these first few months will be _very_ difficult. The Squad is inches away from mutiny."

Kari sighed. "I appreciate the honesty, but I can see that now. Are there any other reports I should be getting today?"

"No, this is all. It's been pretty peaceful around here for a long time."

Unbidden, a chill went up Kari's spine. "And that's how it should be."

Kari was in her office, going over the Soul Governance report again. It was very dry, but it was still readable enough. _Hmm, a little underwhelming on the Human World side. That'll need some work, but it's still acceptable._ Kari set the report down, and picked up the last month's Hollow Cleansing report. Her eyebrows went up. _Not bad at all... How are they going to spend all those Bounty Points?_ Looking down the list for her own name, she saw that she was still listed as "inactive". _I still have a decent amount of Bounty Points, though._ Suddenly, an idea popped into Kari's head. _That would be appropriate... I'll go do that now._

On the way out of the office, she stopped at the reception desk. "Nakima-chan? I'll be going out for a while, and I should be back around lunch."

Nakima looked up. "Around lunch? Okay. I'll write that down." Nakima smiled; she was a friendly and optimistic person.

"Thank you." Kari smiled back at Nakima, and went on her way. She was looking for a flower shop that she had heard was now run by a former Vice-Captain. It had grown from being a little shop tucked away in an alley to one of the most prestigious shops in all of Seiretei. It was a long walk away, about an hour. But it was a lovely summer day, and Kari enjoyed the walk. It wasn't the Rukongai mountains, but it was good enough.

When she was only a few blocks away, she saw Eleventh Squad's Captain Zaraki walking towards her. Clinging to his shoulder was his Vice-Captain, Yachiru Kusajishi. _Oh! I'd forgotten she come from the same district of Rukongai as me..._ Kari smiled and waved as she passed them, preparing to turn the corner towards the flower shop, but she felt Kenpachi Zaraki laid a hand on her shoulder. She turned to face him, and found a surprisingly understanding look on his face.

"It's hard, isn't it?" Yachiru smiled at Kari from over Kenpachi's shoulder, and Kari remembered something else that she and Eleventh Squad's officers now had in common.

Kari looked down at her feet for a moment. "Yes, it is. I hadn't thought about it beforehand." She looked up at Kenpachi again. He had a reputation for being bloodthirsty, but that wasn't what she was seeing in his eye now.

He smirked. "Hell, I didn't think about it too much either. But I knew what I was coming there for, and so did Eleventh Squad; I was there to do what I do best." Kenpachi smirked again, and walked off.

Kari smiled and shook her head, and turned the corner. Immediately the flower shop came into view: it had a large storefront now, and there were a few arrangements of flowers outside the door. Walking up to the door, Kari took in the scent of the flowers outside the door. She looked up at the sign: _The Flying Plum Tree_... The door swung open at a light touch, and Kari walked in. There were a few people in here, looking through the flowers to find just the right type. _I already know what I'm getting, though._ She picked up a small bunch of bellflowers, and one of windflowers, and walked up to the counter.

She was mildly surprised to find Momo Hinamori at the counter_. I never knew... the textbooks only said she retired after the Winter War ended..._ "I would like to have the bellflowers and windflowers delivered, please."

"To where, ma'am- oh, Captain?"

Kari smiled. "I'd like the bellflowers sent to Captain Unohana, and the windflowers to Captain Soi Fon. And, could I pay in Bounty Points?"

Momo gave a sympathetic smile. "We don't accept Bounty Points here. However, a Gotei Thirteen Captain won't be charged for our services! Would you like to attach a note to them?"

Kari thought for a moment. "I'm sorry."

"Did you change your mind?"

"No, that's the note: I'm sorry."

"Ah. Okay then, we'll get these out soon, Captain...?"

"Kari Kuraka, Hinamori-san. I've only become a Captain this week."

"Congratulations, Captain Kuraka! Hope you'll come back soon." Kari smiled and turned away. As she left, Momo pondered what a young woman like Kari could have done to offend _two_ Captains. _Well, that wouldn't be the first time a Captain's put up a facade of caring and honesty... I just met her! Don't go jumping to conclusions yet, Momo..._

After lunch, Kari was sitting in her office again. While she couldn't care less about Segato, Kari didn't want Fifth Squad to turn against her. She'd noted some of the other Captains had side projects they worked on; Captain Unohana had the ikebana showing, Captain Kuchiki had the Calligraphy Club, and even Captain Kira taught haiku at Shino Academy. Kari didn't have any special talents, and had couldn't sing any of the songs her mother used to-

_That's it! I'll write a book of songs! Maybe it could be published in Seiretei Communication Monthly..._ Kari got out a blank sheet of paper and began writing, trying to use dramatic and colorful imagery whenever possible in her songs.

From eternal struggles, grace and beauty can be born

A crown of roses blooms from the plaited thorns

The western wind brings a scent of victory on the breeze

The cry for glory ascends as I am knocked down to my knees!

There was a hurried knock at the door. _Hmm... I'll have to keep working on this later._ "Come in!" The door opened and one of Second Squad's messengers appeared.

"Captain Kuraka! A large Hollow as well as several others appeared while one of your units was patrolling the border of Zaraki District! They have placed an urgent call for your assistance!"

Kari began the familiar routine of using Spatial Distortion to teleport a live destructive spell there. "Alright, I'll just-" _OH NO! I forgot I can't do that here!_ "I'll be along as fast as I can!" Kari picked up Slayer and slung it over her shoulder, and ran out the door. She was soon outside, and then took off at her full speed. Her hair and her mother's scarf blew out behind her, and she was fast approaching the gate to Rukongai. In only about thirty seconds, she had reached the gate; quite the accomplishment since Zaraki District was on the opposite side of Soul Society.

She stopped in front of the gate guardian. "Urgent business! Please let me through quickly!"

The giant nodded, and began lifting up the gate. Before it was even fully opened Kari shot under it, and almost as fast as she had traveled from Fifth Squad's offices she had arrived on the scene. The huge Hollow was still on the loose, and it was attacking two of the members of the unit. The third at first seemed unconscious, but then groaned and moved.

Before the huge Hollow could attack again, Kari streaked in and stabbed it through the mask. Another Hollow sprung out of hiding nearby, and Kari flickered. The Hollow had been cut down. She scanned the area for other Hollows, and there were none.

"Thank goodness you made it, Captain!" Shugo had been supervising this mission, watching over the new recruits. He hadn't been prepared to face what they just had.

The girl who had been wounded called, "Uh, a little help here?"

Kari walked over and saw she had been wounded on her shoulder and side, her uniform ripped. "I'll take a look at that..." The clawing wound on her shoulder was more serious, and she worked on that first. Kari was nowhere near as good with healing magic as in other spells, so she could just barely slow the blood loss. "You'll still need the go by Fourth Squad's infirmary, I'm no expert with healing."

The girl nodded. "Thank you, Captain."

"You're welcome." Kari sighed. "Musa-san, let's head back to Seiretei, and I'll have a new unit sent out here."

"Okay. Uehashi, Moribito, you heard her; let's go back." As they left for Seiretei, Shugo recalled how Segato had saved him on more than one occasion, when Shugo was still a member of Seventh Squad. _I can't fault her for her dedication to the job. I'll just have to wait and see if she was serious about this morning's talk._..


	15. Chapter 15: Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

_...aaaaannnd... there we go!_ The book of songs Kari had wrote, titled _My Struggle_, had been selling well; and Kari had used a good portion of that to buy a pair of lily-of-the-valley shaped earrings. They were two inches long, with five tiny white enamel flowers on delicate gold stems.

Unlike the expensive lily-of-the-valley earrings, trust couldn't be bought. Though _My Struggle_ itself was well received, there were still many(as opposed to nearly all) members of Fifth Squad who remained in suspicion of Kari. _It's not from lack of effort, though. Maybe it's because I'm still trying so hard they're suspicious?_ Kari looked in the mirror: her hair had grown longer still, nearly to her mid-back. _I hope it keeps growing, _Kari thought. She sighed, content. _Well, time to leave for the meeting._

Kari exited her room, and headed off for one of the central meeting halls. She had joined only recently, in an attempt to win Fifth Squad over to her side. The meetings could be somewhat chaotic at times, but Kari was relieved to have a quick break from her duties of being Captain.

The walk was over half an hour, but Kari kept to a leisurely pace. It would not do well for a Captain to be running somewhere. It was a brisk day late in autumn, four months after Kari had become Captain; and there was a light scattering of red and gold leaves along the streets of Seiretei. As she walked along, Kari hummed a tune she'd made for one of her songs. _La la la~ la, la la, la la~~_

In what seemed like only a few minutes, she arrived at the hall. The meeting would be going on in the room straight ahead at the end of the hall, and Kari quickly walked towards it. When she was at the door, there was a familiar male voice talking behind it. _I'm late... and it looks as if Rukia isn't here today..._ Kari pulled open the door and slid in.

"Kari-chan, you're here!" President of the Shinigami Women's Association, Yachiru Kusajishi, was smiling and waving to her.

"Yes. Sorry I'm late, Glorious and Awe-Inspiring President."

Yachiru opened a wrapper and stuffed a piece of candy in her mouth, and nodded to Nanao.

Nanao spoke for Yachiru. "Continue, Captain Kuchiki."

"Ahem. As I mentioned, it would be beneficial to find additional ways to promote ou- the Shinigami Women's Association's fundraisers in some way. If the budget is accurate, our income has gone down over the last year quite a bit."

Isane Kotetsu raised a hand. "Perhaps we could do a calendar?"

"Yes, it's been a while since we've done one of those." Said Nanao.

Soifon added, "As long as it's not another swimsuit edition; it's beneath a Stealth Force member's dignity to... I'm against it being another swimsuit edition."

Yachiru crunched on the piece of candy. "Aaaw, but you were the most popular one, Bee-chan!"

"...I think it was merely the shock value of my appearance that led to its... following."

"Well, there are plenty of members who could take your place." Nanao said. Several people in the room secretly glanced at Kari. "And we have to remember to add the dates of our fundraisers if we're going to do this. Someone forgot last time." Everyone looked down at the table for a second, not daring to look at Byakuya.

Nemu Kurotsuchi broke the silence. "Are there any other ways to reduce our expenses?"

Yachiru began, "We could always move back to the headquarters at Byakkun's pla-" The idea was shot down by a stern glare from Byakuya.

"I've raised the rent again, to five hundred thousand Kan a week. It does not appear as if w- the Shinigami Women's Association has the funds to acquire the property." There was another brief silence.

"The calendar," Nanao prompted.

The Supervising Chairwoman, Captain Unohana, said "I would suggest arrangements of flowers for the illustrations. The flowers representing our Squads would be appropriate, I think."

"But none of the flowers are in bloom this season." Said Kiyone Kotetsu.

"Maybe they could be of our Squad buildings?" Offered Isane.

"And the Captains too!" Said Yachiru.

Nanao sighed. "Our picture taking ventures have never been too successful..."

"Someone could just draw them," Nemu said.

Byakuya cleared his throat. "I volunteer myself to be the illustrator." Byakuya's offer was met with silence; a cricket chirped.

"Did someone let Ketto-kun out of his cage? It sounded like that came from under the table..." Yachiru's pet cricket chirped again, then fell silent.

"Perhaps we could think of something besides a calendar," Nanao said.

Kari had an idea. "What about starting a column in Seiretei Communication Monthly?"

Nanao stared awestruck at Kari. "Why didn't I think of that? Let's vote. All in favor of starting a column in Seiretei Communication Monthly to promote the Shinigami Women's Association and its fundraisers, say aye!" The decision was unanimous, and a chorus of "aye!" filled the room. "All not in favor, say nay!" there were a few seconds of silence.

Ketto-kun chirped. "That sounded like a 'nay' chirp to me." Yachiru said happily. "There was one 'nay', so that means-"

"That by overwhelming majority the motion is passed," Captain Unohana cut in, smiling at Yachiru.

"What should we put in the article?" Asked Soifon.

"I think this month's fundraiser is the bake sale." Replied Kari. "And maybe we could put in a few things about the previous month's activities in it, too."

Nanao said excitedly, "Yes! Let's keep the ideas coming, ladies- ahem. And Captain Kuchiki..."


	16. Chapter 16: Don't Fix What Isn't Broken

It was a chilly day in early spring, and Kari was in Fourth Squad's infirmary; Captain Unohana had put her there.

A cry of pain rent the air. "H- hold still..." In another of Kari's efforts to win over her skeptics in Fifth Squad, she had begun taking lessons in healing magic from Unohana. They were going well, and Kari had learned a lot.

That hadn't stopped her critics, though. They were a smaller number now, and Kari began to suspect that they wouldn't be changing their opinion of her any time soon. But outside Fifth Squad, Kari was known and liked for her book of songs, _My Struggle_. Its sales had slowed down, but it remained a popular item in stores.

With a crack, the bone set. _Phew. Got the hard part out of the way..._ The shinigami she was healing had sneezed as he was going down a flight of stairs, and he stumbled and broke his ankle on the next step. Kari looked to Captain Unohana, who nodded for her to continue. Kari carefully focused the spiritual energy on the tendons and ligaments, gently working them back into place. This took some time, and Kari worked hard at easing the healing spell into effect. After nearly twenty minutes, the spell finished.

"Well done. I'm sure you noticed how setting the break took more than just force? It is necessary to have it properly aligned, and make sure nothing is caught in the break." Captain Unohana looked over towards another cot. "I think we have time for one more before lunch." Kari followed her to a cot seven places over. "Here, tell me what is ailing this man."

Kari smiled at him and placed a hand on his shoulder. Between his breathing and inspecting him with her spiritual energy, Kari could soon tell what it was. "He has a cold, Captain Unohana."

"And a serious one, at that. See what you can do to help him."

Kari had never worked on a cold before, so it was a daunting task. _This will have to be slow... I don't think I can just force it out._ It was indeed on the slow side; Kari worked on working the spiritual energies to ease out the cold, breath by breath. It took a several minutes, but eventually the job was done.

"That was good for your first try with a cold. Now, I think, it is time for lunch. Would you like to join me?"

"Yes, please." _I didn't realize this would make me so hungry!_ They retired to a small office adjacent to the infirmary for the meal.

"I often come here to eat when I cannot be away from the infirmary for long," Explained Captain Unohana. The food soon arrived; spicy steamed pork buns, rice balls with bean paste, and chilled green tea.

Kari started, "Thank you for the lessons, Captain Unohana."

"You're welcome. Just remember, you will get better with time. With healing magic, the amount of practice helps progress as much as skill."

Kari nodded. That would explain how Unohana seemed to need no more than a brief touch to heal most cuts and bruises. "I enjoy all the time that goes into it, though. It's almost relaxing."

Unohana took a sip of tea. "Yes, it is always a nice change of pace when I've been busy with other things." She took another drink of the tea. "And you have been quite busy, as well."

Kari chuckled. "There's so many things to do, it feels like sometimes I'm just running around all day. I don't think I knew what I was getting myself into." As she took a bite of a pork bun, Kari realized there was another meaning to that last sentence.

Unohana did too. "Kuraka-san, I have been wondering about this, since you did not become a Captain by the more usual method. Have you achieved Bankai yet?"

"Yes, I have." Unohana had a questioning look on her face. "Well, in terms of abilities it is very similar to the Shikai. It- um..." Kari did not want to reveal Man-Slayer's ultimate ability, as it was not exactly fit for polite conversation. The familiar mental image of the skeleton clawing its way from the mountainside popped into Kari's head, giving her in idea of how to explain. "It has a... unique special ability, that for now I will say my practice in healing magic furthers my understanding of it. I of course say this because it's my zanpakuto, but Slayer's Bankai almost guarantees my side's victory... and I also hope that I never even have to consider using it."

Though this slightly puzzled Unohana, she smiled. _That is very odd... melee type zanpakuto like hers primarily depend on direct contact for their effectiveness._ A disturbing thought flashed through her mind. _That would be "unique"..._ "Soul Society has been at peace for many years now. I don't think you'll have to worry about that."

Kari raised her teacup. "Here's to peace!"

Unohana returned the gesture. "And to long days filled with it."

Later that afternoon, Kari was at the end of the Ascension Garden. She was waiting for Ashido, who she had invited here to talk for a while. They had rarely been in touch since Kari had become Captain; and Ashido had more on his plate, now that he was an officer. The free time in their schedules rarely matched up, and sometimes they already had plans for their time off.

With how Ashido was regarded by all the shinigami, it was very difficult not to hear of how he was doing. Sometimes even entire articles in _Seiretei Communication Monthly_ were about him going about his daily tasks, even detailing what he ate for lunch, or who he was seen talking to. _Who was it that was in the Substitute Shinigami's group, that he said talked to him in the Forest of Menos...? One of the Vice-Captains... He said he was from Thirteenth Squad? Then it was probably Rukia..._

The idea of Ashido hanging around Rukia troubled Kari. Rukia was one of the most beloved figures in Soul Society, famous for having survived the Winter War and being a member of the Substitute Shinigami's group. _...so? Maybe he's just taking advantage of his fame, anyone else would have already..._ _But... no, that wouldn't be like him. And there are other people around besides us, now..._

_ And I shouldn't worry about Rukia, she's only a Vice-Captain, and I'm... I'm... a Captain, but who notices that?_ Kari's mind flashed back to the day she faced Segato in Trial by Combat. _Hmm... does that have something to do with it? ...it's too late to change that now! I- _everyone-_ needs to move on from that._

Quietly, Ashido had been walking into the Ascension Garden. Kari was up ahead, lost in her thoughts. He came up beside her and laid a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry I'm late, Kari."

"Ah- I didn't notice, Ashido... it's okay." Kari wanted to say something more, but as she looked into Ashido's eyes the words wouldn't come. Ashido gave a small smile, and sat down on the granite stool. Kari sat next to him on the edge, the elbow of her Captain's jacket brushing against Ashido. They sat in silence for a few minutes, watching ripples spread in the pond. _Why can't I think of anything to say right now? I should be able to talk..._ Then Kari remembered how she and Ashido spent many evenings in Las Noches like this, watching from their window in silence. _...maybe, I don't need to say anything..._

Then Ashido took Kari's hand in his, and for a moment the world was perfect.


	17. Chapter 17: Holy Wars

Shugo was back in Kusajishi, getting tea for his Captain. Kari had always been fond of her mother's specialty flavor, Moonlight Mint, and decided it was time to get a box of it.

Strolling up to Uchiha's Tea House, Shugo remembered how Kari had been in a good mood since Ashido had visited yesterday. Today she and Ashido would be attending a production of the satirical play _Springtime for Aizen_, which had become popular again in recent years. _It should be ending soon, if it's not over already. I'll have to hurry back._ He thought.

The Tea House was busy, it being close to time for afternoon tea. Inside, there were many people packed into the booths and tables, some playing card games as they waited for their tea. Only a few people were in line at the counter, so Shugo didn't have to wait long.

Mrs. Uchiha gave Shugo a tired smile. "How can I help you, sir?"

"I would like a box of the Moonlight Mint tea, please."

"Oh, Moonlight Mint? We might have moved all the boxes to the back room, it's been a while since anyone's asked for that. Let me check." After disappearing into the back room for several seconds, Mrs. Uchiha came back with the box. "Here, this is one of Kuraka's boxes; our version of it is all out."

Shugo smiled. "That's perfectly fine. Is it still fifty Kan?"

"No, it's gone up to sixty-five." Kari had provided some extra Kan, so Shugo was still able to pay. "Thank you, sir. It's been a while since we've seen any shinigami come by here."

Shugo nodded and left the store, and wondered if he would start coming back here himself.

Then, just as it seemed everything was back to normal, it all went as wrong as it possibly could.

Behind him, Shugo sensed a Garganta opening. A dozen Hollows sped out from it, attacking the people and buildings of Kusajishi randomly. Shugo drew his zanpakuto, and began to fight them. It was hard to maneuver around in the chaos, but he managed to kill one of the Hollows. _Hmm? Wait, why is the Garganta still open?_

Out from the shadows in the Garganta stepped Mai Shiruna, Leo Valentez, and Anton Scorpira. Laughing wildly, Mai asked, "Where? I can't see her here, Leo." Mai's stare locked on to Shugo. "Hehehe... hey, shinigami! Tell me where I can find Kari-dono!"

Shugo was buckling under the Vasto Lordes' spiritual pressure, and found it hard to speak. "Gggh- she, she's not- here! In- Seire-" Shugo fell down to his hands and knees, barely able to breathe.

Leo Valentez turned to Anton. "Seiretei, I think. I can't sense her here either."

"I told you two coming here first would be a waste," Spat Anton.

"Ha, but we know where she is now!" Said Mai, eyeing a woman who had been attacked by a Hollow. "And I won't rest until we have brought her back where she belongs!" Without warning, Mai opened her mouth wide and fired a Cero into Uchiha's Tea House, completely destroying it.

Leo glared down at Shugo. "Shinigami, you can either escort us to The Master's location, or we will kill you and everyone in our way between here and there and take her by force. The choice is yours."

With all his strength, Shugo stood and raised his zanpakuto, face set in utter determination. "You- will go... _nowhere!_ _Leap, Zabuumaf-_" But before Shugo could release his sword, Anton backhanded him into the flaming ruins of Uchiha's Tea House.

"Haha! Aw, I think you hurt him, Anton. Hehehe, I wanted him for myself."

Anton rolled his eyes. "You'll have plenty to eat here, don't worry-"

A dangerous glint came into Mai's eyes. "I said I wanted him all for myself, Anton."

Leo broke in. "Look, he's unconscious. Why don't you take him with us on the way there?"

"BWAHAHA! Yes, yes, I will do that, Leo!" Mai licked her lips and Sonido'd over to get Shugo, and then whistled loudly. A large pterodactyl-like Hollow flew over, and the three Vasto Lordes hopped onto it.

As they flew towards Seiretei, Leo occasionally fired a thunderous golden yellow Cero down into Rukongai, leaving a path of destruction like the footsteps of a giant. "Ha! HAHA! There it is, Leo!" As they descended to the Northern Gate, they could see a large number of shinigami waiting for them. While they were still in the air, Mai, Anton and Leo jumped off Fluffy.

Mai shouted, "Where is she, shinigami? Give her to us!"

Captain Komamura stepped forward. "Who do you mean? And regardless of who you want, you'll be going no further."

"Hehehe, well... If you don't want us here, just hand over Kari-dono! She is all I want."

"Kari? You mean-" Captain Komamura and the other shinigami who'd heard Mai looked like they had been hit over the head with a frying pan. "I... I have no idea of how you know Captain Kuraka, but as I said before _this is as far as you go._"

Anton said, "Listen, _bitch_, because I will only say this once. I don't worship the ground she walks on like these two, but Kari brought down Las Noches on my head and I would like to have a word with her about that."

_L- Las Noches? How could...?_ "I don't think a Captain or anyone else will be leaving here. And if you are not on your way out, then we'll just have to send you back to Hueco Mundo. _Forcibly._"

Leo stepped forwards, but Mai waved him back. "Shinigami... dog, thing- don't you people have a ruler?"

"Yes, but why do you care?"

"And have you ever seen them?" Mai continued, barely waiting for Komamura to answer.

"No, but these questions-"

"See? You don't know what we're missing! _Give her back._"

"...That will not be happening." Komamura drew Tenken, and Leo and Anton drew their weapons as well. But again, Mai waved them off.

"No, wait... We'll be back, shinigami. And tell Kari-dono Mai Shiruna has not forgotten her." Mai walked over to Fluffy and picked up Shugo, and threw him at Komamura's feet. "And you can have him, I don't want him anymore. Let's go." Anton and Leo glared at Captain Komamura and the shinigami one last time, and then turned to follow Mai. After they had boarded Fluffy a Garganta opened, and the trio flew off.

Captain Komamura looked down at Shugo, who was missing part of his right ear and had a badly dislocated/broken jaw, not to mention some minor burns. "Take him to the infirmary. I'll alert Captain Kuraka and the Captain-Commander of the event."

Kari and Ashido were at Fifth Squad's main office building; Kari was checking up on things before they went back to her room for tea. "And Enjoji-san got the report? Good. Anything else, Nakima-chan?"

"No, those two reports are all, Captain."

"Alright. And thanks for staying on top of things for me while I was out-"

Captain Komamura walked into the office, and everything temporarily stopped. "Captain Kuraka? I need to speak with you for a moment."

Kari looked to Ashido. "Uh, yes. My office is just over here." Kari walked over and opened the door, and Komamura stooped down and came in. "Is this important?"

"I'm not quite sure what it could mean, but it seems to be very important. Captain Kuraka, what happened to you in Las Noches?"

"...I trained daily, and kept the Hollows out of my way. Then before I left, I used my strongest destructive spell to damage Las Noches, but Ashido and I left before I could see how extensive the wreckage was."

_That almost matches up with what the Arrancar said, but it still feels like she's leaving something out..._ "Captain Kuraka, one of the Arrancar said, 'Mai Shiruna hasn't forgotten you'- Kuraka-san? Are you okay?"

Kari sat down in a chair. "I think I'm going to be sick..."

"This could be vital to Soul Society's security! Now, one of the Arrancar referred to you as their master; could you explain?"

Kari gulped down the bile rising into her throat. "They followed me everywhere, and would never stop howling! Until I made it back here, I never understood what it was. They- they worshipped me, Captain Komamura. Me! They made poor old Kari Kuraka their _god_..."

A long and uncomfortable silence stretched itself out in Kari's office. "I have not yet informed the Captain Commander. Would you accompany me?"

"...Yes, let's go."

It was bright and early the following morning, and Captain-Commander Yamamoto had called an emergency Captain's Meeting. Captain Komamura had just finished retelling the previous day's events.

"Now, Captain Kuraka, we will need precise information on the Arrancar."

Kari took a breath, and exhaled. "First, they are all Vasto Lordes." A slight shock ran around the room at this. "The female, Mai- she is the strongest of them. But I don't think she would be likely to get directly involved in any fighting, though. Uh, the black-haired one might cause the most trouble; he doesn't get along well with the other two and he's the most cynical person I've ever met. The blond one would probably stay close by Mai, and she would follow in his trail."

Captain Hisagi questioned, "Have you seen their release forms?"

Kari shook her head. "No, I never saw them. I didn't allow fight-"

The door slid open, and a messenger appeared. "Captains! The Arrancar have broke in, the blond one lifted up the Eastern Gate!"

Captain-Commander Yamamoto ordered, "This emergency meeting is adjourned! Captains, assemble your Squads and lead them into position!"

"Yes, sir!" All the Gotei Thirteen Captains began to quickly file out of the room.

"Captain Kuraka!"

"Yes, Captain-Commander?"

"I am ordering you to remain on the back lines of the battle for as long as possible. If it is you they are after, we cannot simply hand you over to them."

"Ah- but, pardon me Captain-Commander, but if anyone has the best chance of defeating them, it's me!"

"I am aware of your skills, Captain Kuraka; but three Vasto Lordes? I think not. My order still stands. Now, go and prepare."

Kari nodded and walked off, but as soon as she was out of First Squad's buildings she took off towards the fight. She could see them up ahead, and the Hollows called for her in their strange howl. Mai and the others stood behind the dozens of Hollow, not moving now.

In a matter of seconds, Kari was on the scene. The Hollows ceased their attack and looked up to her. "That's right, bow..." Foregoing the incantation and spell name, Kari cast Yellow Fire Flash with a sweep of her hand, the destructive spell flaring out and annihilating several of the Hollows.

"Kari?" Mai Sonido'd, and appeared in front of Kari. She pulled her in and held her, breathing heavily. "Kari, I never stopped believing. Why did you leave?"

Kari tried to back out of Mai's hug, but Mai didn't let go. "I'm a shinigami, Mai! This is where I belong!"

Mai loosened her grip and took a step back. "Really? Who here would follow you as we do? They're not deserving of someone like you!"

"And what makes you think you are, Mai?" Kari slapped the Vasto Lorde, hard. _Arrgh! I forgot they had steel skin..._ Behind Mai, Kari saw Anton motion for the Hollows to attack.

They ran wild through the streets of Seiretei, terrorizing the citizens and shop owners. But a few shinigami came out from the buildings, and began fending them off. From far away, Kari sensed a Captain approaching. _Hitsugaya?_ The breeze cooled down by several degrees as the Captain approached, confirming Kari's hunch.

He appeared by Kari's side, and Leo was there to meet him. "Our business is not with you, child. Leave."

Hitsugaya glanced at Kari. "Just the same as you have no business being here, Arrancar. _Leave._"

"We are going nowhere, until she is safe where she belongs!" Said Mai.

Preparing herself for the Arrancar's steel skin, Kari slapped Mai again. "I belong here, and you aren't welcome to stay!"

Leo traded a sly glance with Mai, then drew his zanpakuto and attacked Hitsugaya. For every foot he gained by his skill, Hitsugaya was knocked back two by Leo's brute strength. But before the potentially devastating battle could get into full swing, Kari drew Slayer and flash stepped in between them; blocking Hitsugaya's attack and grabbing Leo's wrist.

"This. Stops. HERE!" She flung back Leo, and faced the three Vasto Lordes.

Anton was about to draw his zanpakuto, when Kari shot a deathly glare in his direction. He let it slide back into the sheath. Mai looked at Kari, disappointed. "I won't change my mind, Kari-dono. We will come back for you." Mai looked at the other two Vasto Lordes, and they Sonido'd away into the sunrise.


	18. Chapter 18: The Punishment Due

Still as a statue, Kari sat at the end of the Ascension Garden, thinking the events of last week.

What stuck out most was her stern dressing down from Captain-Commander Yamamoto: "_What exactly did you hope to accomplish? I explicitly stated you were to remain on the back lines of the battle, unless needed- but you blatantly disobeyed me, almost immediately! That is unacceptable, Captain Kuraka. Had such a thing happened in a time of peace, you would most certainly be hearing this lecture from the inside of a cell; but due to the circumstances of this engagement we will need you readily available. You are to remain on your Division's grounds unless called for, and furthermore you will have a security detail to ensure you do not leave the boundaries. You are dismissed._"

Fortunately for Kari, the security detail consisted of Ashido, and Kyon and Haruhi Mikoto. _It helps to have them around..._ Kari thought. In the days following the attack, rumors had spread about her relation to the Arrancar. Then, as Mai and the others had returned recently, the rumors had been confirmed. No one would outright say it, but nearly everyone was looking at Kari differently. Even Nakima, the receptionist in Fifth Squad's offices, was wary of her now. And this time, Kari doubted if the suspicion would ever wear off. Kari turned her senses back to the battle.

"How is the battle going?" Haruhi wondered.

Kari honed in on the spiritual energy coming from the fight. "It's about even..."

Mai had stopped laughing, a grave omen for the battle. She flipped her hair over her shoulder; it had a fresh, wet look to it. "Fluffy, take me over to their right flank..." While the pterodactyl-like Hollow raced to flank the shinigami, Mai fired barrage of Bala into their ranks. Mai's Bala made a sound eerily similar to a dog's yelping when fired, and they had a blood red color to them, the same as her hair. The Bala were effective: some severely wounded the shinigami but most blasted them back into each other, adding even more chaos into the battle.

As Fluffy came to a stop, Mai saw a shinigami break away from the others. They flash stepped to the top of nearby building, and drew their zanpakuto.

"Shinigami, hand her over! This could all end if you gave her to me! She does not belong with you."

"Oh? Consider this, would Aizen have come back to Soul Society if we stormed Hueco Mundo and said 'He does not belong with you!'?" Mai glared at him, silent. "I didn't think so. Izuru Kira, Captain of Third Squad. You can apologize for your trouble now and leave, or I will do so for you."

"...None of you understand..." Although she normally would use it just for emphasis, Mai drew her zanpakuto as well. Then she rushed in, and they clashed. Kira had a slight advantage in swordsmanship, but it was negated by Mai's dirty tactics. As the duel raged across the rooftops she would kick up roof tiles in Izuru's face, sneak in shots with her unarmed hand, and couple times she pulled in a random shinigami to use for a shield.

After Kira moved around the frightened shinigami, Mai swung wildly at him. He blocked the swing, and they locked blades. Mai spat in Izuru's face, and while he was distracted she landed a heavy kick to his midsection. Izuru went flying and crashed into the wall of a building, and the wall crumbled on top of him.

"Kira-bozu, I will end this right now if you don't take me to Kari-dono!" Mai raised her hand, and a blood red energy flickered around it.

Izuru groaned and pushed the rubble off himself, and stood. "This won't be over with one Cero. Raise your head, Wabisuke!" As Wabisuke's Shikai snapped into form, Mai Sonido'd to a few feet in front of him. Izuru swung at her, but she blocked. Mai frowned slightly, and looked at Wabisuke. "So you realize what his ability is, then?"

"Yes, Kira-bozu. And I should say you incorrectly guessed mine: it's a Bala, not a Cero." Izuru's eyebrows went up, and at point blank range the Bala hit him squarely in the groin, knocking him through the other wall of the building. Mai whistled for Fluffy, and a second later she hopped on and flew off.

Elsewhere in the battle, Leo was terrorizing the main front of the shinigami. Two or three shinigami at a time would take him on, but Leo would hold his ground with his sheer strength, allowing Hollows to come up behind him and attack the shinigami. Leo went up and down the front of the shinigami's force, flinging and smashing the shinigami away barehanded.

Caught up in the rush of battle he drew his zanpakuto, and Leo roared "Prowl, Leon!" A cyclone of dusty winds blew around him, growing stronger and stronger until they blew out towards the shinigami. His mask remnant now ran along all of his bottom jaw, and he had gained another jaw-like piece on his brow; and his hair had gotten even wilder. His feet had become paws, and his hands had become claw-like, fur going up from his wrists to above his elbows. He now wore short shorts with fur sticking out from under the edges, and had a tail.

Leo sped in and grabbed a shinigami and slammed the unlucky man down to the ground, destroying a building and sending up a huge cloud of dust. He then roared, the sound going out in a powerful shockwave that stopped the shinigami advance. Leo then went wild among them, the shinigami scattering as he came their way. He continued his rampage until he once again met up with Captain Komamura.

Leo came at Komamura, who blocked with Tenken. Leo and Komamura remained locked up, struggling to gain ground_. I thought she said the female was the strongest!_ "You have a lot of nerve to come here again!"

Leo grunted, and pushed Komamura back a few feet. "I could almost say the same for you. As Anton would say, 'bravery comes easily to fools!'" With a roar, he pushed Komamura all the way back into the watchtower's wall; but then Komamura pivoted and they both crashed down into the ground.

Komamura threw Leo off, and growled. "Roar, Tenken!"

Leo laughed. "Is that all? I don't see anything different! You just wasted your cha-" Almost too late, Leo saw the giant glove crashing down on him. A cloud of dust leapt up on impact. When it settled, Leo was still standing, holding off the gigantic fist. _My hand's... slipping..._ Suddenly Komamura thrust with his sword arm, and the giant right arm connected- sending Leo flying back dozens of feet.

Far away at the edge of the battle, Anton stood watching. _Looks like the cub got scared already. And the bitch is running around like a maniac, as usual. Hmph. Well, time for a bit of exercise- who's that?_ Though he couldn't see them, Anton could clearly sense someone approaching him. He drew his zanpakuto, which had a guard in the shape of an oval with a fang sticking out from one end. "Come out, I know you're there!"

Suddenly a kunai shot out at him from around a corner. Anton easily caught it, and threw it back. "You couldn't hit me with that if I was sleeping. You won't win by hiding in the shadows like a coward!" The shinigami came out of hiding from behind him, launching another kunai and spinning into a kick.

From the ease with which the Vasto Lorde had blocked her kunai, Soifon knew this would require impeccable technique. She tried to slip back into the shadows for another strike, but Anton kept up with her. She simultaneously turned and drew Suzumebachi, striking pommel first and then stabbing towards his saphenous vein. Anton barely avoided the full damage of the attack, Suzumebachi grazing his thigh as he dodged. Soifon pivoted away from Anton, going into a back kick and then around into a side kick; then brought her leg in to gain momentum for a spinning stab.

The attack caught Anton across his torso, drawing a red line from his chest to his navel. "What? The f- screw this, I'm out." Anton tried to leave, but Soifon flash stepped into his path. "If you think you can stop me, that would be your first mistake... and your last." Bringing forward his zanpakuto, Anton drove Soifon back mercilessly, never ceasing his advance.

Noticing she was running out of room to retreat, Soifon kicked a hole in the rooftop. Anton was oblivious to the move, staring straight into Soifon's eyes the whole time. He tripped in it and Soifon snapped a powerful kick to his chest, knocking him backwards and flattening him against the roof. He retaliated with a pale green Cero as Soifon moved in for the kill; she evaded in time but the blast destroyed one of the rings on the end of her long braids.

Kari was growing restless. The battle had been going on for days now, and dozens of shinigami had died. Shugo's jaw was healed, but was he still advised to stick to liquid foods. She felt responsible for his injury, and even more she felt responsible for the injuries and deaths of all the shinigami who had died protecting Seiretei from the Vasto Lordes. She walked out of the Ascension Garden, the scenery not comforting her at the moment.

Haruhi and Kyon walked over. "Kari? Where are you going?" Asked Haruhi.

Kari ignored her, and kept walking until she was out of the Garden. She stopped and turned in the direction of the fighting. Before Haruhi and Kyon could catch her she flash stepped on to the roof of a building. Ashido caught her in time, and for a moment she struggled against him. "I should be _out there_!" She yelled, her hand coming up to draw Slayer.

Kyon landed on the roof. "And who would you be fighting for?" He asked in a sharp tone.

Only Ashido was close enough to hear her whisper, "Myself..." She stopped trying to break free of Ashido's hold then, and slumped down in his arms.


	19. Chapter 19: Hollow Again

Mai Shiruna studied the battlefield, with a leaden feeling in her chest. The devastation was widespread: almost total near the gates of Seiretei, but it lessened as it got closer to Fifth Squad's buildings. _For three weeks! Three weeks and five days, but she still hasn't come out. Kari-dono says she's a shinigami, but I know her. Deep down she's never belonged to them; and I'm not going to stop until I have her back with us._

Looking out over the fighting, Mai saw Leo and Anton were still on the offensive. They had sustained injuries from their run-ins with the Captains, but carried on. _Leo, he's not as devoted to Kari-dono as me... is he just fighting for the bloodshed?_ Mai swung her gaze over to Anton. _And him... he just enjoys pain. That's the only reason the bastard is here..._ Anton was in his Resurreccion form, as well: he had a bone-white carapace on his back, leading to a scorpion tail- which he currently was using to great effect; firing Cero from it and striking with impunity. He had also gained four insectoid legs on his midsection, two on each side. His hands had become a scorpion's pincers, and his legs had become insect-like too.

Anton frequently singled out one or two shinigami and picked on them until a large group of shinigami came to their rescue. And on a few occasions he didn't give up when the shinigami's friends arrived, as the Hierro of his Resurreccion form was strong. Glancing back to Leo, Mai saw he was once again warring with Captain Komamura.

Mai gave one more futile attempt at sensing Kari's energy in the battle, and sighed. _She's still a prisoner, then..._ The leaden feeling in her chest shifted into a heavy burning sensation, and Mai made up her mind. It was not in her nature to fight directly: she preferred to follow in the shadows and eat up the carnage others left behind- but that was about to change.

Mai's zanpakuto had a guard in the shape of a paw; she drew it and made a shallow cut on her palm. She watched fascinated as the blood trickled down the blade, and she cried "Vociferate, Hiena!" With an earsplitting laughing howl, Mai's body blurred and shifted around for a moment. When it settled, it revealed her hair had grown along her neck and spine, ending at her ankles. The dark, striped fur that had been Mai's one-shouldered top and bottom now looked as if it grew from Mai, not like a garment. The fang earring mask remnant had disappeared, replaced by what looked like fanged dentures; because of Mai's strong jaw it looked completely natural. And on her right arm was fastened a bone-white wrist blade.

Mai howled, and the shinigami at the edge of the battle turned to look. Only a few heartbeats later she was a few dozen yards away, then before they could blink she had already cut apart two of them. Immediately the shinigami retreated, but Mai had incredible speed in her Resurreccion form and several shinigami got caught in her vicious attack.

Over in Fifth Squad's buildings, Kari was walking towards the Ascension Garden when she heard a howl.

Haruhi looked to Kari, who had stopped moving. "Kari? What's wrong?" Haruhi had sensed a monstrous spiritual pressure far away, but the Arrancar came into the fight often, and she didn't think much of it.

Kari, however, knew the howl and accompanying spiritual pressure all too well. She drew Slayer and said, "I'm sorry..."

"Whoa, whoa! Kari, what's going on?" Asked Kyon.

Kari frowned. "If I don't get out there now, the battle is as good as lost!"

Ashido had recognized the howl as well. "Kari- wait!" He flash stepped in front of her. "There are still five Captains between us and Mai-"

"**NO**! I am sick of sitting on my ass here, and five Captains could barely stop her anyways!"

Kyon looked disdainfully at Kari. It had always been fun teasing her, but he could see she needed a dose of reality here. "If she's so powerful, what makes you think you would make a difference? Huh?"

Kari looked at Slayer, then back to Kyon. "...You'll see soon enough..." She turned away from Kyon and Ashido. "Bankai!" As the shadowy maw passed over her and revealed Slayer's Bankai, Haruhi almost fainted straight away. Although Kyon was similarly having trouble, he had managed to endure the release of Kari's spiritual pressure.

Ashido couldn't shake the light-headed feeling caused by Slayer's sickly sweet heat-and-sweat smell, but he stopped Kari before she could flash step away. "Kari... you don't need to do this..."

Kari opened her mouth to speak, and stopped as she felt Slayer's urge to rush into battle. "I've never had a choice... don't follow me." She pulled down the skull mask, and flash stepped out of Ashido's grasp.

Going full speed, it didn't take long for Kari to arrive at the fringes of the battle. As she looked over the battlefield and saw a large number of wounded and dead shinigami, she felt Slayer pushing her in a certain direction. _I- for once in my life, I do not care... I _will_ dare to do it._ Kari gave in to Slayer's urge and screamed, "Avenge, Man-Slayer!" From behind Slayer's skull mask, Kari saw tendrils of spiritual energy creep towards the fallen shinigami, and enter their bodies. Their dead bodies rose up, under the control of Man-Slayer's massive energy.

_First, the Hollows._ The defeated shinigami raced around the battle, striking at the Hollows. The Hollows were somewhat confused: the shinigami who attacked them now they had already killed, but they also smelled of their master's spiritual energy. As they paused, a few living shinigami who weren't also wondering at the situation took them down with ease.

Mai had at last sensed Kari entering the battle. She whistled for Fluffy, and as her pterodactyl-like Hollow flew by she howled and yelped in joy. Leo and Anton noticed Kari's appearance, and Mai's reaction to it. Anton was closer, and also not fighting a Captain like Leo was, and he carved through the battle and joined Mai on Fluffy. From their aerial view Mai and Anton saw the fallen shinigami were taking control of the fighting. _Someone is trying to beat us to Kari-dono..._ Thought Mai. _Hmm? Is that Ashido-bozu moving towards her?_ A few seconds later they swooped down and landed on the rooftop where Kari stood.

Kari raised up the skull mask, and lowered Man-Slayer. She returned Mai's silent stare, not moving. A dozen seconds had stretched out silently when Mai ran forwards and wrapped up Kari in a tight hug. "Why did you wait so long, Kari-dono?"

She was speechless at the moment. _Why? I thought I made it clear how I felt about them following me... why...?_ Unbidden, a memory of Kari's mother hugging her after playing a game of Shinigami came into Kari's mind, and Kari started to cry as she returned Mai's hug.

Ashido stepped up. "Kari?" She wiped her eyes and turned toward him. "Kari, what is this? Haven't you always said you were a shinigami?"

Anton laughed. "Pfah! 'A shinigami'?" He gestured at the battle winding down behind them. "Why don't you ask the sheep for their beliefs, and see what they say she is?" Ashido didn't answer, as he already knew what the every last one of them would say. As the pause filled out, they sensed Leo approaching.

"So this is it?" Ashido finally replied.

"I've... never been a true Captain, and all I am to them is a disgrace. So forget my past, this is it: no foolish naive stand, no goodbyes..." Kari glanced over to Leo as he arrived.

Ashido walked forwards and looked deep into Kari's eyes, then suddenly kissed her; brief but deeply. He looked into her eyes once more, then turned and walked off.

"Ashido? Where are you going?"

He looked over his shoulder. "I'm doing what you asked. I'm not following you." And he flash stepped away.


	20. Chapter 20: Clash of the Titans

Another emergency Captain's Meeting was taking place. "Has their location been discovered yet?" Questioned Captain-Commander Yamamoto.

"Yes, Captain-Commander." Answered Mayuri Kurotsuchi. "We have located them in a mountain cave three point six kilometers North North-West of Kusajishi, at an altitude of one hundred ninety-six meters."

Yamamoto had something on his mind that he wanted to confirm. "Is the name of her zanpakuto in the database?"

Captain Kyoraku shook his head. "No, Yama-jii. I checked the register of all the currently used zanpakuto, and couldn't find it; Nanao even went through some of the retired zanpakuto database and couldn't find anything similar."

_Hmm, one step closer..._ "Captain Kira, relate to us the information you gathered during the battle."

"Ahem. I was not able to approach very close, but it looked like a bone handled war scythe. By all accounts it seems to be a melee type zanpakuto, and... I'm not sure on this, but either Kuraka or her zanpakuto has the ability to animate corpses." Captain Unohana almost imperceptibly frowned at this, and the other Captains looked at Izuru, disbelieving him. "Another thing of note is the black-haired Arrancar has particularly strong Hierro in his Resurreccion form."

Captin Komamura asked, "Were you able to observe the female's Resurreccion form?"

Izuru involuntarily shivered. "No, but from what I sensed Kuraka was right to call her the strongest. The female might even be more powerful than some of the Espada were."

Though a few of the Captains looked doubtful of this Captain-Commander Yamamoto nodded. Izuru's information had indeed confirmed his suspicions. "Now, we must proceed carefully from here. As we have seen the female Arrancar is very protective of Kuraka; if possible we must separate them. The other two Arrancar should also be singled out, as we cannot afford to have the four of them fighting side by side." Yamamoto paused for a moment as he brought up ancient memories. "...And this is critically important: if Kuraka activates her Bankai, you are to immediately retreat from battle! There will be no exceptions to that order.

We will also stagger the entries of our Squads into battle, to reduce any collateral damage from the use of Kuraka's Bankai. Captains Zaraki, Komamura, Soifon and myself will be heading this effort, but I ask the rest of you to stay prepared in case your assistance is needed. Lastly, if at all possible, Kuraka is to be taken alive. She also has some skill with spells, but it is mainly her zanpakuto we should be concerned with. This emergency meeting is now adjourned." Yamamoto took a deep breath and exhaled. _Jiguro..._

Kari sat in the small clearing out of the wind, facing towards Rukongai. "What should be our next move?" Leo asked her.

"I'm not leaving these mountains... and if Aizen is anything to go by Seiretei doesn't like rogue Captains. They'll probably be coming to us."

"Hehehe, you think they would've seen the truth by now."

"...No, that's often the last thing they see."

Far away, Kari could see a caravan moving out from the edge of Kusajishi. _A traveling performance group? Who else would it-_ The group was moving fast, and Kari saw that one of the members was wearing a white jacket. "They're coming..."

"Heh, already?"

"Yes." Kari reached up and drew Slayer. "I'll see if I can scare them off." She motioned for the Vasto Lordes to move aside, then cut her thumb with Slayer and slowly drew a circle in the air with the blood. "Ye lords! Mask of sanity and grace, crippled healing hands, crying blood, sweat and tears. Show your scars, riding forth in sacrifice." As Kari finished drawing the circle of blood in the air, Anton raised an eyebrow- this was the same spell Kari told him she'd used to bring down Las Noches. "A strike from the heavens to reprieve, shouting your name in earth, sky, and blood! Way of Destruction Number Ninety-four: Flying Lotus, Heavenly Fire Crash Down!" The spell erupted from the circle of blood-

-and the immensely destructive flare of white-hot fire energy arced down towards the shinigami. Though they saw it when it was half way towards them, that would be nearly too little time to escape the blast radius. Their Captain split them up in two groups: one veered to the right, the other to the left. As the seconds crawled by they felt the heat from the spell approaching, even though the spell was hundreds of feet away. While they were still running away Flying Lotus, Heavenly Fire Crash Down slammed into the ground, the golden white explosion sending large rocks and vegetation high into the air with a deafening roar. A few of the slower shinigami got singed and knocked off their feet by the shockwave, but the Squad as a whole had evaded the attack.

"...They dodged... you three stay here. I'll go see what they want." Kari flash stepped down the mountainside until she arrived at the crater's edge. "I would like an explanation of why you're here," She said to the shinigami on her right. They didn't answer, and Kari saw that although they were putting on a brave face none of them moved forwards. "Well?" They still remained silent, and Kari sighed. "I won't force you to leave, but the Arrancar behind me might have something to say about-" Kari stopped when she heard a bell faintly tinkle behind her as their Captain stepped up.

Kari could hear the smile in his voice. "Why so serious, Kuraka? It's almost like you're not happy to see me." Kari turned around and looked up into Kenpachi Zaraki's eye.

"At this point, I wouldn't be too pleased to see anyone... and you still haven't answered my question."

Kenpachi grinned. "Ah, Yamamoto sent us here; said something about trying to take you back alive."

"I am not leaving these mountains."

Kenpachi shrugged. "The fun way works for me too. I can think of a few ways for you to never leave here." Kari almost took up a fighting stance, then paused.

She took off her mother's blue scarf and handed it to Yumichika Ayasegawa. "I need that back after this is over..."

_Ah, that's the same one she was wearing when I took Yachiru by the candy shop. Bad move giving it to Ayasegawa, though. He'd probably keep it._ "Well, then. Guess you're serious after all." Kenpachi drew his zanpakuto. A split second after he did so Kari came at him. _Heh? That's an odd style she's using..._ Kenpachi kept up with Kari's furious pace, enjoying the slight surprise of Slayer's style.

But Kenpachi was much physically stronger than Kari, and he hammered in his strikes, driving her back towards the edge of the blast crater. Kari felt the residual heat of her spell rising up behind her. She held her ground for a few seconds, but Kenpachi swung with tremendous force and though she blocked it Kari was knocked backwards over the crater. _Like the rock..._ Thought Kari, remembering her flash step exercise in Las Noches. Using all her speed Kari zoomed around Kenpachi, but frustratingly he still avoided and blocked her attacks. She slowed down, and Kenpachi had anticipated the attack. He parried and got in a shallow cut below Kari's collarbone- right where her mother's scarf would have been.

_Ah! ...time for a different tactic._ Kari began using the circular approach of Slayer's style, but then instead of using an evasive step and slash she exploded forwards: spiraling into a thrust parrallel with the ground and ending with an upwards stab. Kenpachi countered with a series of thrusts, coming within a hair's breadth of Kari each time. Suddenly Kari stopped gathering spirit particles in the air under her feet, and fell down. Just as suddenly she flash stepped past Kenpachi, striking him under his ribcage.

"Hahahaha! Not bad, not bad at all! Yamamoto was talking about your zanpakuto today, so let's see it!"

_A- that's actually not a bad idea..._ "Cut both ways, Slayer!" A shadow passed over Slayer, and the bone-handled falx of its Shikai was revealed. Kari didn't wait for Kenpachi to move, and began her offensive again. She used sweeping cuts to try to get around Kenpachi's defenses, but he laughed them off and turned the battle into a test of counter-attacking skills. Kari stuck to Slayer's style during this phase, but found Kenpachi was still in control of the fight.

As Kenpachi swung at Kari, she caught it in the curve of Slayer's blade, and swung the block down. Then she stepped on his zanpakuto, and sprang up and landed a stiff knee strike to his jaw. The blow sent him back several feet, but Kenpachi recovered in time to deflect Kari's next slice. He laughed, and they locked blades.

This time, Kari smirked. She moved her hand along her blade and called, "Reap, Slayer!" The ranged cutting effect sliced Kenpachi from his navel to his head, and forced him back dozens of feet. _Wh- why is he laughing?_ Kari looked along the line of the cut, and when she came to his head she knew why. _Dammit... the eye patch..._

Kenpachi's spiritual energy burst out, and Kari saw a skull shape in the golden yellow energy. He didn't use a flash step, but he closed the distance between them almost as fast; and blocking his swing sent a shock through Kari's entire body. Kari stayed strong, as she was confident in her skills, but all the same she avoided directly blocking his strikes again.

"Ha! Come on, Kuraka! I can tell you're still holding something back! Where's the you that faced Segato Sanjiro?"

The taunt rattled Kari. _The me that__-__ what?_ "Don't pretend to know me, Zaraki! Worry about the Kuraka you're facing now!" Kari kicked up the intensity of her attack a notch, and even managed to cut Kenpachi a few times on his torso.

"Haha! Getting closer! I might tell you to give in to the dark side and release your anger, but it seems you've already done that!"

Kari screamed, but it came out as an especially strong casting of the destructive spell Thrust. Venting the full weight of her spiritual pressure, Kari yelled "_Bankai!_" The shadowy fanged maw swallowed Kari, and the darkness swirled around Kari before vanishing to reveal Slayer's Bankai. The ragged black cloak fluttered in the breeze for a moment, and then Kari pulled the skull mask over her face. She lifted up the bottom of Man-Slayer to face Kenpachi, and a dagger extended from the end. "Reap, Man-Slayer!" Kari stabbed at Kenpachi with Man-Slayer, and the ranged attack pierced him through his shoulder, and through two unfortunate members of Eleventh Squad who were in line with the attack.

Kenpachi Zaraki had the urge to stay and continue his fight, but he remembered Yamamoto's orders to retreat immediately if Kuraka activated her Bankai. "Hey guys!" He called, as he parried and counterattacked Kari's thrusts. "Start heading back, I'll be along in a few minutes-" He was literally cut short by Kari, who had flash stepped past him and thrust clean through his right side. As fast as she could, Kari began the forbidden spell Spatial Distortion, and teleported Kenpachi to Fourth Squad's infirmary.

Yumichika Ayasegawa had dropped Kari's mother's scarf as he flash stepped away, and Kari gently picked it up and shook the dirt off it. Kari flash stepped back up to the small clearing, where the three Vasto Lordes were waiting.

Anton was looking at her. "You should have finished him off! He's too strong to simply teleport away!"

Kari sighed. "Anton, shut up."

"Oh? Does that tone mean you object to my words?" Kari walked up and punched Anton in the face; something cracked.

"Hehehe, thanks Kari. I've been wanting to do that for a while myself." Mai chuckled.

Kari looked at Anton, who was rubbing his jaw where he'd been hit. _I won't take out any shinigami, but Anton... him I could do without._ "Crawling Rope!" The Binding Spell caught Anton off guard but he didn't appear too concerned to be stuck in it. Preparing herself for the next spell, Kari slipped into a deep focus.

"If you think a petty trick like this will hold me, you're sorely mistaken."

Kari opened her eyes for a second. "My knowledge of forbidden spells isn't just limited to offense, Anton." The Arrancar's eyebrows went up, and Kari began the incantation. "Sword of truth, heart of stone. Pure laughter that cannot reach the heavens, innocent hands that cannot grasp the butterfly, build up the wall of a sinless dream and open the doorway! Way of Binding Number Ninety-eight: Fourth Wall Imprisonment!" Anton shimmered, then with a pop he shrank and folded in on himself and disappeared. Kari took a few big breaths, and sat down. _I almost lost control of that at the end there..._ Kari exhaled, and shuddered as she wondered about the consequences of the spell's failure.

Mai spoke up. "Fourth Wall?"

"I don't know either, but I've never heard of anyone recovering from having their consciousness inverted. And who are you looking at? There's no one over there."

"No," Said Leo, "but I'm sensing that there are more shinigami coming this way from the city."

Mai looked longingly at Kari. "Are you sure you won't come back to Hueco Mundo?"

Kari used Man-Slayer to stand up. "Yes..." Kari walked over to the clearing's edge and saw two Squads advancing. _This is going to be a long day..._


	21. Chapter 21: Vicious Cycle

As Soifon led Second Squad towards the battle, thoughts were racing around in her head. _Does she have no honor? And Sanjiro... at the very least he was a loyal subordinate when he served under me... but that's a price we all have to pay... and some pay more than others_.

Soifon sensed the release of two nightmarish spiritual pressures as she and her Squad drew nearer to the mountain. _That has to be the Vasto Lordes..._ _I can't quite see from this distance but it must be their Resurreccion forms._ Soifon looked over to Captain Komamura, and signaled for them to split up. Second Squad would be playing more of a supporting role here, working from the shadows to split up Kari and the Vasto Lordes. _Hmm? Wait, there are only three of them! Where is the other Vasto Lorde?_

Over on his side, Komamura had also noticed Anton's mysterious absence. _Kurotsuchi would have mentioned it this morning; and he's never wrong... he has to be hiding somewhere._ As Seventh Squad approached the mountain, Komamura noticed smoke rising from a crater. _The Vasto Lordes- no, a bit too big to be from a Cero... "Some skill in magic", huh. Yamamoto, this looks to be the work of someone with "average skill" in spells... _Komamura chuckled, in spite of himself. _At least he gave us a warning._

As Seventh Squad arrived at the blast crater and maneuvered around it, the Vasto Lordes began to move down the mountain. Mai was skipping down, laughing hysterically. _I think her logic is to be illogical, and that's her advantage..._ Leo was using Sonido, though, and Komamura drew Tenken and prepared himself. "Roar, Tenken!"

Komamura smashed his fist down, but Leo moved inside the giant's attack and Sonido'd towards his Squad members. Komamura aimed a kick at Leo to cut him off. Leo turned to face the massive boot, but he didn't have time to stop it. Komamura took in the look of pain on the Arrancar's face. _I think I missed low on that one..._ But that didn't stop either Komamura or Leo for long. Leo raised up his claw-like hand for a Bala, and Komamura thust his palm forward to block it; too late he saw Leo was actually aiming for members of his Squad. The giant's hand connected with Leo at the same time the Bala decimated his Squad members. Komamura risked a quick look and saw the shinigami who were hit had almost been flattened.

He looked back and saw Leo was only a handful of feet away. Komamura swung Tenken at him but Leo used Sonido to dodge, only to find he also had the giant's sword to deal with. Leo ducked it, but was treated to the most powerful hair cut of all time; Tenken swiped off the top of Leo's mane, giving him a balding clown-like look. Roaring as he swept in, Leo clawed at Komamura with a wild fury. He couldn't connect all the way but on several strikes he grazed Komamura's front. The Captain fought back just as hard, and the two traded bone-jarring blows. Tenken made the difference: with a sudden impact the giant's fist ground Leo into the dust.

_That won't quite be enough to stop him..._ Sure enough, the Vasto Lorde was back on his feet, albeit a little more slowly. Before either of them could move a howling, blood red Cero cut between them and into the shinigami of Seventh and Second Squads. Mai followed after it like thunder, and began wreaking havoc among the two Squads with her wrist blade.

Leo recovered from the distraction first, and scored a vicious clawing punch to Komamura's chest. Komamura retaliated with a thundering left cross, and followed that up with a punt kick via Tenken. Leo went flying dozens and dozens of feet over to the blast crater. _I think I'll have to go for it._ Komamura held up his sword and growled, "Bankai!" In a fiery release of spiritual energy the giant appeared and stood up behind him. Leo began to fire a Cero, and Komamura brought his hand down in a hammer-fist strike. The golden-white Cero and the giant's fist collided with an enormous explosion, and when the dust settled Leo was nowhere to be seen.

_He's nearby, though. The crater?_ Shaking out his sore left hand, Komamura ran over. Leo was facedown, struggling to pull himself up using a slab of rock. Then Komomura jumped down and firmly planted his boot in the crater. A few brief moments later Kokujo Tengen Myo'o's boot emphatically crushed Leo flat.

From her viewing spot in the clearing on the mountain, Kari saw the earth shaking stomp that defeated Leo. _That HAD to hurt..._ Kari sighed. Man-Slayer was roaring to be let into battle, but she was still tired from the effort of using Fourth Wall Imprisonment on Anton. _Leo... and Mai is still out there. All those shinigami and Leo... dead. What did I do to start this? I tried my best..._ Kari lifted Man-Slayer, but held back from using Avenge. _I think that's another Squad coming out from Kusajishi... I'll wait until they're here..._

Mai was running wild through Seventh Squad, tearing and ripping without even looking twice at her targets. She didn't need to... But as she swung at a shinigami, she felt a prick on the back of her shoulder. _Heehee! That tickled, what was that?_ Mai spun around, just in time to catch Soifon's arm as it came in for another strike. "Heh, I thought I sensed someone sneaking around." Soifon attempted to hit Mai with a low kick, but Mai smiled and hopped over it; and as she came down Soifon whipped up the kick and hit the Vasto Lorde right on the jaw.

Mai flung away Soifon. "Heh, so you hit me. Very, very, _un_impressive." Soifon didn't wait for Mai to gloat, and began attacking her with a series of kicks. Mai chuckled as she blocked them, and even countered with a few kicks of her own. "I've been fighting unarmed for ten times longer than you've lived, little shinigami. You should feel lucky if you manage to get in another hit."

"That's all I'll need," She said as she used an outside block against a high kick from Mai.

"Oh? Heh, you're not like the shinigami-dog. You'll need more than one hit for me."

Soifon gave Mai an up-close view of Suzumebachi with a lunging thrust, which was blocked. "My zanpakuto, Suzumebachi, has the ability to kill in two strikes-" Soifon slipped a stab of Mai's wrist blade, and kept up the tight back-and-forth rhythm of their fight- "-and if you look at the back of your shoulder, you'd see a crest on it." Soifon caught Mai's right arm, then quickly kicked at her instep, inside of her knee, and solar plexus. Mai reeled back from the combo, but as she stumbled back she kicked up dirt in Soifon's face.

The cheap trick worked, and Mai kicked at Soifon's kneecap before Soifon cleared the dirt out of her eyes. As Soifon stumbled, Mai floored her with a punch to the bridge of her nose. In a flash Mai was over her, and dropped down onto Soifon's lower stomach, driving the breath out of her. "Tsk tsk, 'two hits'? Hehehe, you don't survive as long as me without knowing how to side step a Cero or two, shinigami." Mai laughed as she playfully struck Soifon across the face repeatedly. Then suddenly she stopped laughing. "And there's no way I would let you kill me."

Oddly, Soifon thought of Segato. "I assume that means you're afraid to die, then." Mai's glare turned deadly serious. "Or at least, afraid to die for Kuraka." Mai reared back and stabbed at Soifon, taking her through her left shoulder.

"**Liar**! Don't you **dare** tell me Kari-dono isn't worth fighting for!"

Soifon bit down on the pain and said, "Death is meaningless, and if you fight for love it's all you'll find." At that Soifon reached up and stabbed Mai's shoulder- Suzumebachi reaching the same point as its previous strike.

Mai looked shocked as the crest appeared on her shoulder. "NOO! _Kaaaarrri-_" But then the Hornet Flower Crest flared out, and Mai Shiruna vanished.

Mai's last scream echoed up to Kari. _Mai?_ Kari checked the battlefield again, and found a drastically reduced number of shinigami. _She fought as hard as she could, for me... and the shinigami, weren't they fighting to take me back? We all tried our best, and what did it lead to?_ Kari's eyes watered._ Who's the rabbit now, who's the stepping stone in the other's path? Who- that looks like the Captain-Commander..._ Kari lowered Man-Slayer; she didn't have the heart to use Avenge now, though Man-Slayer's urge to was intense. Yamamoto was nearly at the base of the mountain now, and Kari went down to meet him.

He stood silent, his fiery spiritual energy surrounding him. "...I never imagined I would meet Man-Slayer in battle again..."

"M- M- _what?_ I've never faced you before, and I found him in a cave! How could you know Man-Slayer?"

Yamamoto drew Ryujin Jakka. "It first came to my attention when I heard you carried your own zanpakuto to Shino Academy. I thought nothing of that, until I heard of your use of its Bankai recently. It has been a great many years since it has been wielded."

"By who? I think I have a right to know, Yamamoto-san."

"It was wielded by a man named Jiguro Yamamoto..."

Kari's head was spinning. _His brother...?_ Kari looked down at her mother's scarf, and saw the edges of it were smoldering in Yamamoto's spiritual energy. _And who would... who would carry on my mother's..._ With a sob, Kari began to swing Man-Slayer at Yamamoto.

Genryusei Yamamoto calmly deflected Kari's attacks. He had seen enough battles to know what this was. Gradually, the force behind her attacks lessened, and then Kari fell forwards crying into Yamamoto's arms.


	22. Chapter 22: Eye of the Phoenix

Kari had had plenty of time to think back over her life as she walked across the long bridge. Her childhood in Rukongai, working at the Tea house with her dear mother. Becoming a shinigami, and meeting Ashido and the Mikoto siblings, and all the antics of the Shinigami Women's Association. But there was a darker side to her life, that Kari wanted to deny but couldn't.

_In the end, will any of this matter? All the Hollows who worshipped me; all the shinigami who died protecting Seiretei; and me- does it count for anything?_ Kari noticed the wooden bridge change to dirt under her feet, and she looked up to see they had arrived at the hill.

The execution was well attended; all the Captains and Vice-Captains were there, as well as a handful of seated officers. As the procession stopped, Kari's mind flashed back to when she had introduced herself to Fifth Squad after she became Captain... _Hardly anyone showed up... and I don't think the ones who came listened, either... Hmm? Oh, I forgot I asked for that..._ It was her mother's blue scarf that had been draped on her. In the wind on the hilltop it shifted around, and came loose.

_Wait, that was-_ "Ashido!" He had started to walk away after placing her mother's scarf on her, but he turned around to face her. "Why did the hen cross the path?"

Though it was the last thing he'd expected to hear, the joke made Ashido smile. "To get to the other side..."

Ashido's smile warmed Kari, as it was all she really wanted to see at the moment. They held each other's gaze for a few long seconds, and then the procession started moving forwards again.

Kari looked over towards Yamamoto, who was standing near the Sokyoku. _Those must have been Jiguro's bones I saw in the cave... and what was on the back wall? War know name something._ Yamamoto sensed her watching him, and he returned the look as she was led up to the stand. Her bindings were removed, and when she reached the stand and turned to face the Sokyoku three blocks rose up in front of her. They drew her arms out to the side and lifted her up.

A member of the team that handled Sokyoku's release turned to Yamamoto. "Should we begin now, Captain-Commander?"

"No, in a moment." Yamamoto spoke up. "Kari Kuraka, do you have any last words?"

Kari remained silent, looking down at the shinigami gathered down below. There was a brief gust of wind, and her mother's blue scarf fell off her and floated down towards the shinigami. She still kept silent, until Yamamoto was about to signal the Sokyoku's release.

"All this time, since my mother died... I thought there would be a meaning to all this, that there was something in our hearts worth fighting for. I wanted there to be more to life than this, to be something more to everything I thought existed... but I guess it's only the fool in me that believes there's sense in this..." Kari fell silent again, but once more raised her voice when Yamamoto was about to order the Sokyoku's release. "...I never wanted the Hollows to worship me, or to bring down Seiretei. All I'd wanted was to be someone my mother would have been proud of. But I wasn't; and it's in the past now, and I can't turn back time. Isn't that what everyone wants, no regrets? ...but we can't control everything in our lives... sometimes I thought that maybe someday I would have control of my life, and I would be respected; but people only saw a little rabbit running around... they never saw me. So that's it... go ahead and curse my name, but remember the truth."

Yamamoto gave the signal, and the team began the steps to release the Sokyoku. The ropes holding the multi-story tall halberd of its sealed form burned up, and in a burst of fire Sokyoku's true form was released: a flaming phoenix.

Kari stared into its face, unblinking. _The eye of the phoenix, mother. Your child is headed home..._

Epilogue

Still the wind blew, calm and silent. Long after everyone else had left Sokyoku Hill, Ashido stood gazing at the stand. He'd seen Kari staring straight into the Sokyoku, not turning away or blinking for a second. _"Remember the truth..." They'll only curse the truth when they remember her..._ Ashido looked down in his hand: he was holding the blue scarf Kari and her mother had worn, now scorched around the edges. _The truth... it's all we can do, to just live with it..._ Ashido tied the scarf around his upper arm, and slowly walked away.


End file.
